Like Father, Like Son
by Questfan
Summary: Is blood really thicker than water? Lucas discovers that sometimes choices aren't really obvious when Lawrence arrives on the seaQuest, hiding a secret.
1. Chapter 1

**Before you start reading this let me just tell you this isn't going to be about Lawrence abusing Lucas. I know those stories have been done really well by others so I'm not going down that track. Other than that you'll just have to read on to see what happens. I know this chapter is short but it seemed a logical place to pause. I promise they will get longer.**

**As always, I don't own anything of the seaQuest universe except the bits that roll around in my head before falling out here. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

"So, have you called him yet?"

Lucas didn't look up at Tim's question but stared at his fork full of eggs instead. Finally he shoveled it into his mouth so he wouldn't have to answer.

"C'mon Lucas, you have to call him back. He's called you four times and I can't keep telling him you are unavailable."

Lucas shifted slightly in his seat and nodded at his friend while still avoiding making eye contact. He slowly swallowed the mouthful of eggs and finally looked up.

"Well it's true! I _have_ been unavailable because he's just called at inconvenient times. That's not _my _fault is it?"

Tim nodded thoughtfully. "No, it's not, but it doesn't explain why you haven't called him back yet." The hint of a question hung in the air but Lucas refused to rise to it.

Before Tim could say anything further Lucas' PAL began to beep.

"Duty calls!" he said as he pushed his plate away and quickly rose from the seat.

Tim frowned as he watched the teenager hurriedly leave the mess. He had skipped the rest of his breakfast in his haste to answer the PAL out of earshot of anyone else. He knew Lucas could be secretive when he wanted to but this was just strange.

For his part Lucas didn't want to continue the uncomfortable conversation and had been relieved when his PAL went off. It gave him the perfect excuse to escape Tim's questions. He couldn't really explain to himself why he hadn't returned his father's calls yet. Maybe it was a little childish but it was a small chance at some payback. After all, how many times had he left messages with his father's secretary or lab assistant only to wait days or even weeks for a return call? Now the shoe was on the other foot and he wondered how it felt.

He heard Commander Hitchcock's voice over the PAL and quickly reigned in his thoughts. Duty really was calling and he was needed in Engineering. As he quickly made his way down to the maglev he decided he would call his father as soon as his shift was done. He figured he had made his point by now.

The rest of the day passed quickly as the engineering team ran a series of diagnostic tests on a new system. Lucas ran the computer simulations while Katie had oversight of the physical tests. As is usually the case with first tests, things didn't quite go to plan and it was many hours later before they could confidently say the system was running properly.

When Lucas finally made his way to his quarters that night he had almost forgotten about calling his father. It was late and he was tired and the idea of putting it off until tomorrow was very appealing. Until he got to his quarters and saw there was another message on his comm bank. A nagging feeling was starting to eat at him. His father would usually go through the captain if he wanted Lucas to do something. So why had he called five times and left personal messages rather than go through Bridger? Lucas decided it was time to stop being childish and just call his father.

He paced nervously as the vidphone link dialed through. It seemed only seconds before Doctor Lawrence Wolenczak appeared on the viewscreen. Lucas stopped pacing and turned to look at his father. He licked his lips and tried to think what to say to explain his tardiness in replying but he didn't get a chance to speak.

"Lucas!" Something about the eagerness in Lawrence's voice sounded wrong but he continued on anyway. "It's good to see you, son."

Lucas smiled and nodded at his father. "Um, sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you but I've been tied up with this new …"

"It's OK," Lawrence cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I know how busy you are. It's just that I …" he paused and tried to hide the awkwardness he was feeling. It had been so long since he had a real conversation with his own son and now that it really mattered he was stuck for words. He smiled and continued on anyway.

"Lucas I was wondering if, um, I'd be able to come out to the _seaQuest_ and see you since I know you don't have shore leave due. I've checked with Captain Bridger and he's OK with it if you are."

Lucas wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to the request but it seemed as though once again the plans had already been made for him. If the captain had agreed to it then there really wasn't any way he could say no to his own father. He shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal fashion and nodded slightly.

"Um, I guess so. When were you planning on coming?"

"As soon as possible."

Lucas suddenly felt very wary of what this request was really all about. His father had never been in a hurry to see his only son before, so what was different now?

"Dad …is everything alright?"

Lawrence smiled but something about it didn't seem quite genuine. "Of course. There's just some things I want to discuss with you and they really need to be done face to face."

"Mmm … OK," Lucas replied warily.

"All right then, I'll let you know as soon as I have travel details for you. Well you look exhausted so I'm going to go and leave you to get some rest."

Lucas nodded while trying to stifle a yawn. Long after the vidlink went blank he sat and stared at the screen. That was the strangest conversation he'd had with his father in a long time. Something was very definitely not right. As he lay on his bunk and tried to sleep, questions kept running through his mind. Sleep evaded him for most of the night as he tried to put together the puzzle that was obviously missing some important pieces.

* * *

"Lucas? Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh sorry Kristin. They'll be ready in a minute."

He turned back to the slide samples in front of him and continued to prep them for the incubator. It was boring work and his mind had wandered off. He shook his head slightly at his own lapse in concentration and focused again on what he was doing. The experiment was fascinating but setting up the preliminary control phase was just routine.

Kristin didn't say anything, but she had been watching him for the last ten minutes. His mind obviously wasn't on the job. He looked tired but she knew better than to quiz him about it. Suggesting a tired teenager should get off the internex and get more sleep was likely to earn her some sarcastic response but wouldn't ultimately make him get to bed any earlier. She smiled slightly and realised it had been a long time since she'd had to deal with teenagers and their peculiar logic. The one thing she did remember from her dramas with her own daughter was that it was often better to hold her tongue and let Cynthia work things out for herself. That sometimes meant allowing her to suffer the consequences of bad choices.

Kristin smiled fondly at him. Lucas had become part of the crew in the sense that he made a valuable contribution but he had become like family too. Eventually all teenagers grow up and start to make sense again. At least Cynthia had, so she held out hope for Lucas as well. She ignored the inclination to give him some motherly advice and turned back to the job at hand. After all, the control slides weren't going to get themselves done.

* * *

Captain Bridger paused outside the door to the lab. He knew Lucas was rostered on with Kristin today and he would find both of them down here. They had been telling him about their research project for weeks and today was the start of the control phase so obviously they would be in the lab.

He couldn't shake the sense of unease that had plagued him since the call from Doctor Wolenczak earlier in the day. There had been other matters to attend to on the bridge but he had finally gotten a chance to head down to speak with Lucas. Of course he knew that Lucas' father wanted to come out to the _seaQuest _and he had given permission. He had no idea why Lawrence was suddenly so keen to see his son but he wouldn't stand in the way. Especially if it meant Lucas would finally get some of the attention he needed and deserved.

Bridger shook his head as if to dislodge his own thoughts. Why was he so bothered by the fact that tomorrow morning Lawrence would be arriving on his boat? He took a deep breath and put on a calm face before stepping into the science lab. Kristin looked up as he entered and smiled at him. He returned the smile but she noted there was something odd about his demeanour. Before she could ask anything he had walked over to where Lucas still had his head down over the microscope.

"Hey, Kiddo."

Lucas waved his left hand vaguely in the air. As he pulled the slide out of the holder he laid it gently in a box with another fifty nine that looked just like it.

"Last one! We just need to get them sorted and labeled before we start the next phase," he smiled before standing up to hand the box to the doctor.

Bridger knew all about the experiment protocols and didn't need something so obvious explained to him. He understood that Lucas was avoiding the real reason the captain had come down and it just added to his concern.

"I just wanted to let you know your father will be arriving on the supply shuttle in the morning."

"OK." The brevity of the answer did nothing to help calm his worries.

"Lucas … I'm … I was just wondering if everything is all right. With you and your father I mean."

Lucas slowly turned back to look at them both. Kristin had moved over beside Bridger and was waiting for an answer too. Clearly she was just as concerned. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to look unfazed.

"You mean you're wondering why he's suddenly showing such an interest in me too?" He smiled at them before shaking his head. "I dunno either. But I don't expect it to last long." The last words were almost lost as his voice dropped. He quickly turned away to cover his embarrassment and picked up the equipment he'd been using.

"Gotta pack my toys away, otherwise the boss gets annoyed." He grinned cheekily at the doctor as he moved away to the supply storeroom.

Kristin shook her head in frustration before whispering, "He can joke all he likes but this has him unnerved."

"I know. I just wish I knew what was going on." The captain frowned at her. "I need to get back to the bridge but I'll talk with you later."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thankyou to all the lovely reviewers for your comments. It's always great to hear your feedback. As always Sara, you make me laugh so I hope you haven't exploded yet because I like getting your questions and ideas! Teresa I hope your exams go well. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two**

Lawrence sat down heavily on the bed and stared at the clothes laid out in piles. He hated the mundane things of life because there was so much of real importance that needed to get done. He considered anything that slowed that down to be a waste of time and packing travel clothes certainly counted as wasting his valuable time. Picking a blue shirt over a red one. Or a lightweight sweater over a heavier coat. So pointless! He reached out a hand to pick up the pile closest to him. His hand trembled slightly and he quickly snatched it back.

"Damn it! Not now!" he muttered under his breath.

He sighed as he tried again to pick up the clothes and angrily shoved them into a compact travel bag. He stood up to collect his toiletries from the bathroom but as he walked past the mirror he paused. He stared at his own reflection for a moment before rubbing a tired hand over his face. He closed his eyes briefly as if to block out his own image. Without looking back at the mirror he headed back out to his bedroom to continue packing. It was hard to know how much to pack. He didn't know what sort of welcome he would get and he wondered how long it would be before he was thrown off the _seaQuest._ He just hoped that Lucas would at least hear him out before calling in Bridger.

* * *

Ben rubbed absently at his forehead and surveyed the stacks of crates in front of him. They seemed to stretch on forever but he knew they at least had to stop at the bulkhead doors. The last supply run had been held up because the _seaQuest _had been issued a sudden change of orders and now he was a month behind on everything.

He sighed slightly as he flipped open the folder to start checking it all off before it could be unloaded. An ensign came in to check on his orders and it was another two hours before Ben found time to think about what had happened with Lucas' dad. He frowned slightly as he recalled watching Lucas pace up and down the launch bay for over half an hour prior to the shuttle arriving. Lucas was renowned for his lateness and it was noteworthy that he was so early on this occasion. Ben had tried joking with him about it but Lucas didn't seem interested in taking the bait.

When Lawrence finally arrived, Ben watched him closely but he got no indication of why the man was there. There were only a handful of passengers and Lawrence was the only one who wasn't military. The rest had quickly headed out of the launch bay but Lucas and Lawrence had stayed put for a while. As Ben cast sideways glances in their direction he could see the awkwardness between them. He wanted to head over and kick the man. Damn it! He really wanted to go and give the guy a piece of his mind but he knew it wouldn't do much to help. What kind of father shook hands with his sixteen year old son after not seeing him for over five months? When Lawrence finally reached out to hug Lucas the teenager seemed even more uncomfortable.

As he continued on with the supply order Ben watched discreetly from a distance. Not that he was trying to eavesdrop but he was concerned about why Lucas' father had suddenly shown up. He knew from talking with Tim that others were just as concerned. Finally Lucas led his father out through the bay doors and Ben sighed before turning back to the job at hand. It didn't take a genius to read the body language between them. Even without hearing the words, Ben knew Lucas was nervous and his father seemed to be holding back. Not a good combination, he decided.

* * *

Captain Bridger stared at the console in front of him and tried to focus on what Ortiz was telling him. He glanced again at his watch. The supply shuttle had docked over two hours ago and he hadn't seen Lucas all morning.

"Sir?"

Bridger realised his sensor chief had stopped talking and was waiting for an answer. He just had no idea what the question was.

"Ah, Captain? We are picking up those readings again but the heading has changed. Do you want me to investigate it further and send the WSKR out again?" Miguel repeated his question in a quieter tone. It was obvious to him the captain was distracted but there was no reason the rest of the bridge crew needed to know that.

The captain nodded his agreement before placing a hand on Miguel's shoulder.

"Thankyou, Mr Ortiz."

He turned back to the sonar screen and waited for the WSKR view to come up again. He mentally kicked himself and forced himself to focus on the job at hand. There would be plenty of time later to catch up on how the family reunion was going.

* * *

"Dad, this is Doctor Westphalen. She's the person I work with most here on _seaQuest._"

Lawrence held out a hand. "A pleasure to meet you Doctor. Lucas has told me a lot about you."

"Please, call me Kristin," she smiled back at him. _"Funny, he hasn't told me much at all about you!" _

For the next half an hour Lucas showed his father around the science lab, explaining their various experiments that were in progress. Lawrence followed him around and seemed genuinely interested. Kristin tried to stay out of the way but that didn't stop her keenly observing the father and son. Finally Lawrence seemed to lose interest and Lucas stopped.

"Dad, are you going to tell me why you are here? You didn't really come here to see our science experiments."

The directness of the question caught Lawrence off guard and he stared at the floor for a few minutes. Finally he looked up and nodded.

"Is there somewhere private we can speak? Can we go back to your quarters maybe?"

Lucas tried to keep a calm face although his stomach was churning. Something was coming and it certainly wasn't good. That much he was certain of.

"Yeah. Sure."

Kristin watched as they headed out the door. She thought about calling the bridge but there wasn't anything specific to say and calling in a gut feeling seemed silly.

* * *

Lucas sat on the edge of the bunk while Lawrence leaned against the door. It was really strange to see a man who was usually so confident seem so ill at ease. Lucas frowned as he realised he had never seen his father like this. Finally Lawrence walked over to him and sat down on the bunk.

"Lucas, just promise me one thing. Please, let me get to the end of this before you judge me. OK?"

Lucas tried to answer but a lump stuck in his throat. Instead he just nodded uncertainly. _"Judge you? For what?" _

Lawrence hesitated slightly before speaking again. He rubbed his face with his hand and Lucas noted his hand trembled slightly as he did so. Whatever he was about to say it obviously had him wound up tightly.

"You know, families are strange things. They say you can pick your friends but not your family." He smiled uncertainly but Lucas didn't respond. "I know that you know about my brother, Matthew."

Lucas nodded in agreement. The black sheep of the family or so he had been told. He had never met the man so there was no way he could question that assessment. Unfortunately his Uncle Matthew had died over twenty years ago.

"Your older brother."

"Yes." Lawrence nodded slightly before continuing. "Lucas … I haven't been entirely truthful with you about him."

Lucas figured he was about to get the story of why his uncle had been estranged from the family. He wasn't at all prepared for what came out instead.

"I told you he died in a car accident while overseas. The truth is … he just … went overseas."

"What! He's still alive?"

"No. He died two weeks ago. In Paris."

Lucas pushed himself off the bunk and edged away from his father. Questions spun around in his head but only one really leaped out. Lucas had spent so much of his life wishing for siblings or cousins or even just some family beyond his own parents. The things that every other kid seemed to have. He knew that Lawrence knew that.

"Why?" He breathed out slowly. "Why would you tell me he was dead all these years? Why would you keep me from meeting my uncle?" He stared at his father in anger and disbelief.

* * *

"Sir, the supply order is all accounted for and secured."

"Thankyou, Lieutenant." Bridger nodded at Krieg. He didn't usually get first hand reports of the state of the supply order but he understood why Ben was there on the bridge and he appreciated it. Even if it did mean his senior crew could read right through him when it came to Lucas.

"Have you seen Lucas at all this morning?"

Ben nodded. "Yes, Sir. I was down at the launch bay when the supply shuttle docked and Lucas was there to meet his father."

Ben hesitated as if weighing up what he should say next. He noticed Ford watching him and realised it had gone very quiet. They were all waiting to hear more. All of Lucas' friends were wondering the same thing but nobody really felt like they could ask. Lucas' family business was his own and nobody wanted to intrude on that. It was just that none of them really believed this was a normal family visit.

"I understand he took his dad to see the science labs and Doctor Westphalen said they went back to Lucas' quarters."

Bridger nodded at him. "I expect I'll catch up with Doctor Wolenzcak later then." He turned back towards the WSKR array. "Mr Ortiz, what have you got for me?"

Krieg realised the discussion was over. The captain knew where Lucas was and that was that. Nobody really felt any less concerned but it was understood that for now at least, it was back to work.

* * *

"Lucas, I don't expect you to understand but you have to know that I …"

"You're damn right I don't understand! Why would you keep your own brother a secret? Why would you lie to me all this time? My whole life!" He paced back and forth across the small room. Suddenly another thought hit him and he spun back to look at his father. "Why are you telling me now? You could have just kept on lying since he died in Paris. I never would have known." His eyes narrowed as he stared suspiciously at Lawrence. "What's changed?"

Lawrence opened his mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it again. There wasn't an easy answer to that and he wasn't sure how he was going to get it all out. Before he could continue Lucas' PAL began to beep.

Lucas didn't move to answer it at first but it continued to beep insistently. Finally he pulled it out but he never took his eyes off his father.

"Lucas here," he responded abruptly.

"Lucas, we need you on the bridge, immediately."

"On my way, Tim." He turned to walk towards the door but then slowly turned back to look at his father. "Don't think this conversation is over."

Lawrence watched his son leave the room and frowned in frustration. He had hoped to be able to get through the whole explanation in one go. Something about keeping the momentum going seemed to make it easier. Now he would have to start again, only this time Lucas was already angry and probably not very receptive to what he had to say next. He sighed as he realised he would have to choose his words very carefully.

As he glanced around the small room he couldn't help but smile at the array of things he saw. Pieces of electronic equipment lay scattered across the floor and Lucas' computer screen showed a silent stream of numbers running through it. He recognised them as programming codes that were re-sequencing themselves even as he watched. He had never really gotten a grasp on his son's ability with computers but it had been obvious even from an early age that he knew his way around any program. Just like his Uncle Matthew. Lawrence sighed again as he slowly walked to the door. No, this conversation was definitely not over yet.

* * *

As Lucas hurried through the clam doors nobody had time to comment on the dark look on his face. There was a sense of urgency as various crewmembers worked around him. He heard Tim trying to call through to Banden Station but he obviously wasn't getting a reply. Captain Bridger turned around and motioned him over.

"Lucas, we have an unconfirmed SOS from Banden Station. There's some kind of radio interference and I need you to help O'Neill get in contact with them."

Lucas nodded before sliding into a station next to Tim. As his fingers went to work on the keyboard the expression on his face slowly changed. Bridger noticed that the previous angry look gave way to one of concentration. He briefly wondered what Lawrence had done to arouse that anger but he didn't have time to think about it just now. An underwater UEO research station had sent out an urgent SOS and now nobody was responding. The _seaQuest_ was at least five hours away which was a long time when the twenty six personnel on that station were waiting for help. Assuming there was anyone still alive there. Bridger glanced over Lucas' shoulder to make eye contact with O'Neill.

"Anything, Lieutenant?" he asked hopefully.

Tim shook his head before pulling his headset down. "Nothing, Sir, not even static."

* * *

Ensign Hooper made his way along the corridor towards Mammal Engineering. He whistled softly as he walked. Mail delivery duty always seemed to inspire him to whistle. Maybe because it was unusual for submariners to receive actual mail when email had taken over from conventional letters but everybody enjoyed seeing the mail delivery person so it was a job he liked getting rostered for. As he came to the door he knocked to see if Lucas was in. When he got no response he placed the package on the floor in front of the door and continued on to Lieutenant Brennan's quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

**First up I need to apologize to Wolenczak2004 because she used the name Matthew in her story "Secret of the Past" which I was reading recently. I forgot that's where I saw it and since I hate making up character names I tend to use family or friends for inspiration. I have a brother called Matthew and I guess I just had the name in my memory from her story. So it wasn't intentional but I'm sorry anyway. By the way, it's a great story if you haven't read it.**

**I was thinking after reading your reviews that I could write a **_**really**_** bizarre story if I went along with all your ideas. Maybe after I finish this one I might do that. Write an opening chapter and then turn it over to you guys to dictate the storyline and see where it goes. What do you think? I know it's a scary thought because some of you are … um … just plain strange. But then so am I and I do love getting your reviews because they always make me laugh. No, there are no more butterflies. Don't get me started on that again because it nearly did my head in. I had to look up Mighty Max to see who he is (sorry!). I don't think anyone was in a cult but you never know. I like the secret agent idea but I couldn't tell you if he was because it's a secret and then I'd have to kill you. OK, enough waffle – on with the story!**

**Chapter Three**

Lawrence paced around the small quarters he'd been assigned. After Lucas was called to the bridge he had stayed in his son's quarters for a while. It felt good to be near Lucas, at least in spirit, by being around his things. Eventually he decided that Lucas wasn't coming back in a hurry. Lawrence wasn't sure if that was because he was still needed on the bridge or because he was still too angry to talk. Either way he had decided to head back to his own quarters. That was over two hours ago and he was getting bored. He'd tried logging on and catching up with some work but his mind just wasn't on the job. Finally he decided it was time to get out and stretch his legs. As he stepped out into the corridor he realised he had no idea where anything else was. Lucas' quarters were off to the right so he decided to head left. That way his son would have to find him when he was ready to talk again.

* * *

For over two hours there had been no reply from Banden Station despite Tim sending out an automated repeating message. The bridge crew had stepped down from the state of alert they had been in, as it became clear there was nothing they could do for another three hours. That was their estimated ETA at the station and in the interim all they could do was wait.

Captain Bridger walked back around behind O'Neill's station. He watched the display that showed the bandwidth they were broadcasting on. He frowned as he knew that there was no reason why the station shouldn't be receiving their hail. He didn't want to speculate on why they weren't answering. As he glanced over at Lucas he could see the frustration on his face. Lucas hated it when something he was doing didn't work. He had tried everything he could think of to tap into the station's systems when they failed to reply but nothing was coming through.

"Hey, Lucas, I think it's time to give that a rest." The captain half expected an argument and was slightly surprised when Lucas just nodded at him.

"Yeah, I can't work out what the problem is. I mean there's usually a back door into any kind of major system but it seems as though someone has just pulled the plug on that place."

Bridger nodded at him. "Well since there's nothing else you can do until we get there, I have something else I'd like you to take a look at."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Come with me and I'll show you. Mr Ford, you have the bridge." The captain nodded towards his XO as he led Lucas off the bridge towards the wardroom.

As he closed the door behind him the captain paused for a moment before turning around. He was acutely aware he was stepping on dangerous ground but if the issue with Banden Station turned out to be as serious as it seemed he knew he wouldn't have time for dealing with anything else. He needed his people focused and that included his computer analyst.

As he turned around he saw that Lucas was still standing by the board table. He slouched against the chair with his hands in his pockets but the look on his face was one of wariness.

Bridger decided there was no point being subtle as Lucas was already two steps ahead of him. Instead, he went straight for the problem.

"OK. I need you to level with me. Is everything all right with you and your father?"

Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly before trying to put on a neutral face. How was he supposed to explain what his father had revealed earlier? He had so many unanswered questions of his own and he really didn't feel like discussing his father just now.

"Lucas?" Bridger wasn't going to be put off so easily.

"Not really. He kind of dropped something on me this morning." He looked away, hoping this conversation was going to end soon.

"Anything I can do to help?"

Lucas sighed slightly before looking up. "Nope, I think it's just something we have to work out between us."

"OK. But whatever it is I need you to keep your mind on the job. Something is going on at Banden Station and since we don't know what to expect when we get there, I need everybody focused. Including you!"

Lucas just nodded at him.

"All right then." Bridger knew he wasn't going to get anything by pushing so he decided to let it drop. At least for the moment. "Why don't you head down to the mess and get a meal? We've still got a couple of hours before we get there and I'll call you to the bridge if we need you any sooner."

He watched as Lucas headed for the door and couldn't resist one last effort.

"You know you can come and talk to me right? If you need to."

"Yeah. Thanks."

He frowned as he watched Lucas' retreating back. Something was going on but he realised he had no right to ask. He was supposed to watch out for Lucas' welfare while he was a member of the crew but this had nothing to do with that. The captain tried to ignore the nagging idea that what was really bothering him was that his relationship with Lucas was unlike any other member of the crew. He had unintentionally slipped into a kind of pseudo parental role and now he was forced to step aside as Lucas' real parent stepped in. He should have been pleased that Lucas' father was spending time with him but instead he felt … ? What? He didn't really want to try and define it because he had the uncomfortable feeling the word jealous would come to mind. Maybe that was too strong a word. He shook his head in annoyance at the whole thing and decided he needed to get back to the bridge. At least there he knew exactly where he stood.

* * *

Lucas had decided he really didn't feel like going to the mess and he didn't want to risk running into his father so he headed back to his quarters. He thought it was unlikely his father would still be there. He arrived back at his room and was surprised to see a large package sitting propped up against the door. At first he thought his father had left it there but then he realised it was postmarked. Mail deliveries weren't common on a submarine but for Lucas they were unheard of. His friends only ever used the internex to contact him directly. Any computer components he needed came through the supply order and there was never anyone to send anything of a personal nature. He leaned down and picked up the package before pushing the door open. As he walked inside he read over the senders' details typed on the back. A law firm in Paris. He screwed up his face as he wondered what could be inside.

He sat down on his bunk and turned the package over in his hands. Obviously it had a connection to his uncle and even though he was looking for answers he still hesitated before opening it. The bombshell from his father made him wary of it. Why would a family maintain such a lie for so long? Not only did his father lie about his uncle but his uncle had made no attempt to contact his nephew. Did he have an aunt as well? Cousins maybe? Finally his curiosity got the better of him and he ripped open the seal.

Inside was a black leather covered case and a letter was taped to the front of it. His name was neatly typed across it.

"The personal touch!" he muttered to himself before sliding a thumb under the flap of the envelope. The letter he pulled out was a fairly standard legal letter from the law firm that had handled his uncle's estate. Condolences for his loss followed by an official sounding bit that said his uncle had expressly written it into his will that the enclosed album be delivered to him in the event of his death.

He gently eased the cover off the box and pulled out a black leather-bound album. As he opened it to the first page he was stunned to see a baby photo of himself. There were another couple of photos when he was aged one or two but then the next page really caught him by surprise. A newspaper clipping of his high school graduation day. Graduating at such a young age was unusual and he had made headlines in several papers. He flipped though the pages and was amazed to see his uncle had meticulously tracked his academic achievements all the way to when he left Stanford. The last entry in the album was a photo taken at the UEO summit where the world leaders had disappeared along with Lucas. Secretary General Andrea Dre had been proven to be a traitor and had been arrested. Lucas was credited with helping the rescuers find the delegates. An attempted coup d'eta had been averted and it had made world headlines.

As Lucas stared at the album he could feel his anger rising again. His uncle was obviously interested in him so why did he never get to meet the man? Suddenly a thought hit him. Since the album was specifically written into the will, did his father know about it already? Was that the real reason he was there on the _seaQuest_? Was Lawrence only telling him about Matthew now because his hand was forced? Lawrence was the only one who could give him answers but right now he didn't think he could face his father without blowing a fuse.

He looked up as a shadow passed overhead and he saw Darwin swimming lazily past. Lucas slowly picked up the vocorder and looked at the dolphin. He briefly wondered if dolphins had such complex pod relationships. He seriously doubted it. He frowned as he put the vocorder back down. As much as he needed to find someone to blow off some steam with he decided he really wasn't ready to talk with anyone yet. Not even Darwin.

* * *

Lawrence decided he couldn't sit and wait for Lucas to come back to him. Their interrupted conversation needed to be finished. Even if his son wasn't going to want to hear what he had to say. He asked directions from a passing crewman and headed back towards Lucas' quarters.

He half expected Lucas would still be on the bridge but he decided he would just wait until he came back. He knocked on the door and held his breath. At first there was no response but when he tried again he heard movement inside. It seemed like forever before the door slowly swung open. Lucas glared at him before attempting to slam the door shut.

Lawrence had been anticipating such a reaction and stuck his foot out to stop the door closing.

"I've got nothing to say to you at the moment! Leave me alone!" Lucas tried to push the door shut again but Lawrence forced it open.

"I know you're angry with me but you really need to hear the whole story before you shut me down."

As father and son stood on either side of the door it seemed as though neither would break the stalemate. Finally Lucas relented and stepped back from the door. He glared at his father as he entered the room but said nothing as he shut the door behind him.

Lawrence stepped into the small room and glanced around. It didn't take long before his gaze settled on the black leather album on Lucas' bunk. His heart caught in his mouth as he realised he was too late. Somehow he had to achieve some kind of damage control but judging by the scowl on Lucas' face that wasn't going to be easy.

"OK. You came here to tell me something. So tell me! Why did my uncle have an album full of photos and information about me? And why don't I have anything about him?"

"Lucas, sit down please. This isn't going to be simple."

"No thanks! I think I'll stand." Lucas folded his arms and glared at his father.

Lawrence nodded and sighed slightly before starting again. "Well I need to sit down." He dropped down onto the bunk and Lucas noticed his hands were trembling again. He refused to allow any room for sympathy for his father and looked away. It was his own fault he was so tense.

Lawrence started off slowly, carefully choosing his words. "Matthew was three years older than me. My mother used to say that she sometimes wondered if a cuckoo had dropped an egg in our family because Matthew and I were so different. We didn't look like brothers and didn't really have a lot in common. Except for one thing. It was the glue that held us together when all our differences threatened to push us apart. Our father always instilled in us the idea that we should leave the world a better place than when we entered it. Our lives should count for something significant. He pushed us both to achieve our best in everything we did."

Lucas snorted, "Sounds familiar!"

"Yes, I know a lot of my father rubbed off on me. When we realised your potential your mother and I wanted you to achieve all that you could. I guess sometimes we pushed too hard."

He waited for Lucas to respond but he got nothing.

"The problem was that we saw the world through very different eyes. I won't drag out the details but Matthew and I had a falling out over a contract we were working on. It was military and top secret classification." Lawrence dropped his gaze to the floor. "I'm ashamed to say that we said things to each other that effectively destroyed our relationship, both on a personal level and a professional one. The powers-that-be agreed with me and Matthew was dropped from the contract. He never worked for the military or government ever again. And he never spoke to me again either."

Lucas stared at his father and tried to slow the swirl of thoughts in his head long enough to ask a question.

"So why didn't you just tell me you had a brother you didn't talk to? Plenty of people have screwed up family relationships. Why lie to me and tell me he was dead?"

Lawrence sucked in his breath and knew he had hit the crux of the matter.

"Because you are a lot like him." He paused to let that sink in. He glanced up and saw the look of confusion that briefly crossed his son's face before understanding hit.

"And you thought what? If I met him I'd like him more than you? Was that it?"

"No, Lucas. I was afraid you'd follow in his footsteps. Matthew was always a bit of a bleeding heart. He didn't have it in him to make the hard decisions in life. It was actually the reason I arranged for you to come aboard the _seaQuest._"

"What?"

"I thought that you had, _have _the potential to achieve amazing things in your career but you need to be able to make the tough choices when it matters. Living on a military vessel is giving you an invaluable insight into the real world while allowing you enormous opportunities that wouldn't be available to you anywhere else. _SeaQuest _has some of the best facilities in the world. You are privy to things that you wouldn't come across otherwise."

"The bottom line is you wanted me to toughen up."

"Yes, I suppose I did. And I make no apologies for that. Lucas I'm so proud of what you've become and I know I made the right choice."

"But you didn't bother to ask me what I wanted. You just dropped me here and left! And now I find it was because of someone else. All this time I thought I had done something to … to … but the truth is you just weren't satisfied with who I was!"

"No, Lucas that wasn't it. We just wanted …"

"I'm through talking about it! Just tell me one thing. And this time I want the truth. How did my uncle _really_ die?"

Lawrence paused before answering the question. "He had a massive stroke. It was the end result of years of living with Byrnes disease."

"Never heard of it."

"No, I don't suppose you would have."

* * *

Water swirled around him. Cold water. It was so very cold but he had stopped shivering some time ago. Hours? Days? He had lost all track of time as his body slowly shut down. Hypothermia turned out to be a blessing in disguise as by the time the rising waters crept over his head he had long since lost a grip on reality. The room had evaporated into a mindless blur and he welcomed the blanket that wrapped around him. If he had still been able to see he might have been surprised to catch a glimpse of a WSKR out of the control room window.

* * *

"It's a genetic disease that causes a variety of symptoms. Different people react differently but they all seem to …"

Lucas' PAL suddenly beeped loudly and cut across Lawrence's words.

"Lucas, you are needed on the bridge. Immediately."

Lucas frowned at the irony of it. Twice in one day the conversation had been interrupted by an urgent call to the bridge. At least this time he had some answers to take with him. Even if they did just generate a hundred more questions.

_**A/N For those of you who are about to jump on the net and look up Byrnes Disease, save yourself the time because I made it up. I picked a few friends' surnames and started looking to see which one of them didn't exist. That way I could make the symptoms fit my story. In spite of being told that I bet some of you just can't help looking anyway! Let me know what you find. And by the way, the shell disease is Bynes Disease.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah Ihni I guess I do like cliffhangers so I wrote another one especially for you! But I don't ever leave you hanging for long and I **_**always **_**finish what I start. Don't you hate that when you get hooked on a story and then it abruptly stops in the middle?**

**OK now – fess up! How many of you didn't believe me about Byrnes disease and looked it up anyway? A Joxer cure? Hmmm … I will have to think about that one! But since you made such a great nurse for poor Ben …. I'll get back to you.**

**A big thankyou to anony1010 for coming up with the lovely names for Matthew's wife and her sister. I had trouble choosing from your looong list of suggestions!**

**Chapter Four**

For the second time in one day Lawrence found himself standing alone in Lucas' quarters. He clenched his fists in frustration and clamped his jaw to stop himself from swearing. He stared at the door for a few moments as if Lucas may come back through it. Eventually he stalked out into the empty corridor and slammed the door behind him. Without really stopping to think about where he was going he marched off to the right. Before long he found himself face to face with an unfamiliar t-junction. He cursed under his breath as he realised he was lost.

"Everything about this place looks the same!" he muttered.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

Lawrence spun around to see a young man in uniform walking towards him. He glanced at the insignia but had no idea of what it meant. He guessed by his age that the sailor couldn't be any more than an ensign. He frowned at his own stupidity. He'd been so caught up in his own anger and now he had to ask a mere ensign for help. Before he could say anything in reply he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The young ensign held out a hand but Lawrence waved him away.

"I'm all right! I was just, um, looking for the mess."

The ensign looked him over uncertainly but decided he didn't really feel like arguing the point. "Ah, it's down that way to the left. Keep going until you get to the first junction and head left again. Don't worry, Sir, you'll smell it before you get there!"

Lawrence just nodded at him and muttered a quick thanks before heading off the way he'd been directed. His head was spinning but he had no intention of letting on to a kid that he might need any more help.

Ensign Richards continued on the way he had been heading, shaking his head slightly. He'd been in the docking bay earlier in the day to help unload the supply order when Doctor Wolenzcak arrived. As big as the _seaQuest_ was, nothing much was really a secret. He knew from talking with several others on the morning detail that Lucas' father had arrived unexpectedly. Lieutenant Krieg had quickly shut down the conversation but that had just served to fuel their curiosity. Non-official visitors were rare and anything that helped stave off boredom was a welcome source of gossip.

* * *

Lucas arrived on the bridge only a few minutes after being summonsed. He knew they were close to Banden Station so he mentally pushed aside the conversation with his father. For now at least he chose to focus all his attention on his job. He walked into a hive of activity as the WSKR's showed some disturbing images on the main view screen. Junior was hovering outside the station's control room and it was clear for all to see that the room was flooded.

Captain Bridger turned as Lucas walked up beside him.

"At least now we can see why we aren't getting any response. Lucas, I need you to work with Ortiz to find out the extent of the flooding. Use the WSKR feedback to check for signs of life. There are twenty six personnel assigned to that station and I'm not ready to accept that they are all dead."

Lucas nodded thoughtfully before heading over to the sonar array. His mind was already racing as to ways of getting information. He stepped up beside Miguel and saw he was already running an electrical sweep of the station. They scrutinized the readouts, searching carefully for any indication that power was being drawn in any particular part of the station.

* * *

The woman sat staring into space. She absentmindedly twisted the gold ring she had looped over her forefinger. She paused and lifted the ring up to eye level. The words engraved around the inside had long since started to wear away but she knew what they said anyway. The same words were etched into her own wedding ring.

"Together forever," she whispered to herself. Somehow forever had just gotten a lot shorter. She didn't hear as another woman entered the room behind her and she jumped as she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry Issy. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if you wanted a coffee."

"It's all right. I was just … just … taking a stroll down memory lane."

Monique smiled sadly at her sister. She knew exactly who was down that lane. There were no words that seemed helpful so she just sat on the edge of the lounge and wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulder. She could feel the tremors and knew that Isabeau was barely holding it together. She and Matthew had been soul mates and his death was crushing her. Even through his long illness they had both held onto the hope that he would defy the doctors' predictions. Months of being relatively symptom free had been followed by plunges into debilitating sickness. Even to the end they both believed he would beat it.

Monique glanced over to the coffee table and saw her sister had already brought in the mail. In an effort to find something normal to say she commented on the pile of mail that lay there unopened.

Isabeau just stared at it. "I can't handle opening any more sympathy cards today. There are so many already."

"Would you like me to take care of it for you?" Monique reached over and scooped up the pile as her sister just nodded. At least it was something practical she could do.

She took the pile out into the kitchen where she put the percolator on to make coffee. Isabeau was right. Most of the envelopes contained cards expressing the sender's regret at the loss of a wonderful man. One looked different though and she hesitated briefly. It was from a law firm so she put it aside and handed it to her sister along with a steaming mug of coffee.

As Isabeau read through the letter she frowned slightly. "I wonder what he will make of it?" she whispered to herself.

"Issy? What will who make of what?"

Monique watched as her sister slowly looked up. "Lucas. They sent him Matt's album."

"Who's Lucas? What are you talking about?"

"Lucas Wolenzcak. Matt's nephew."

Monique stared at her sister. "What nephew?"

* * *

"Captain! I think we've got something!" Miguel spun around in his seat and saw Bridger hurrying over towards him. "See. There." He pointed at the screen. Lucas nodded at the captain who looked at the readout before him. It wasn't much but it was a start.

Bridger turned back to his first officer. "Jonathan, pull up the schematics."

Ford quickly had the station's schematics up on the main viewscreen. By comparing the information from Miguel's console and the diagram on the screen they were able to narrow it down to a small area on the third level. Something was drawing power from there so at least part of the station was not flooded. It was their first hopeful sign after the discovery of the flooded control room.

Bridger looked around the bridge at his crew. "All right people, I need options on how we get in there."

Ford had punched in a few commands and was already mentally tracing a route through from the first level. He frowned as he kept coming up short. As with all underwater facilities this one had automatic watertight doors. Sensors would close them automatically if water was detected where it shouldn't be. The program showed which doors would have closed already and working on the assumption that the program was right meant that all normal access options were cut off.

Ben looked over at Katie and realised she was thinking the same thing. "Maybe we should send in the HRP and get some more data."

Bridger nodded at him before looking over to see that Hitchcock was already pulling out her gloves. The Hyper Reality Probe could get in and get information where a WSKR could only look.

* * *

Lawrence checked that nobody was behind him and he was relieved to see he was alone. He leaned up against the bulkhead and closed his eyes. The pounding in his head was getting worse and he cursed his own stupidity. In his haste to speak with Lucas he had forgotten his meds. He could feel the blood thumping through his temples and the spots dancing in front of his eyes just reminded him of how stupid he was. He knew better than to allow his blood pressure to get out of control but he found himself involuntarily clenching his jaw anyway.

After speaking with the ensign and pretending he was heading to the mess, he had doubled back and started back towards his quarters. With the throbbing in his head getting worse he quickly found himself lost again. The _seaQuest _was enormous and everything looked the same. Every door, every junction, every bit of the blasted aquatube. It all looked the same!

Suddenly a thought hit him. The aquatube! It could lead him back towards Lucas' quarters and from there he knew how to get back to his own. He started off down the corridor with a renewed plan. Eventually he rounded a corner and heard voices. Up ahead were two large doors and as he walked closer he could see he was nearly at the bridge. He paused and watched as he could see activity inside. Something was going on and curiosity got the better of him. Lucas had been called to the bridge earlier and now he could see why.

Lawrence edged forward, trying to get a glimpse of his son. It seemed strange that his son, a mere teenager would be in the middle of all that.

"But that's why you sent him here, remember!" he muttered to himself.

Lucas' words came back to accuse him. _"The bottom line is you wanted me to toughen up." _

He frowned as he remembered the look on his son's face. The same look he had seen on his brother's face all those years ago. Without realising he was doing it, Lawrence edged closer to the clam doors. He could hear the captain's voice but couldn't make out the words. Somebody called out a response and as he leaned on the door he could see images being fed from some sort of hyper reality probe. The scientist in him was fascinated by what he saw. He was mesmerized by the display and wondered at what kind of equipment they were operating. He tried to ignore the pounding in his head as if by sheer willpower he could bring his blood pressure back under control.

* * *

Crocker had spotted the stranger in the doorway and headed over to stop the man. He took a guess that it could only be Doctor Wolenczak but even so, he wasn't authorised to be on the bridge. The captain saw his security chief out of the corner of his eye and turned to see where he was going. He was surprised to see Lawrence standing in the doorway. His first reaction was a prickle of irritation that the man felt he could just wander in uninvited. He instantly squashed the thought and headed over to greet his guest.

"It's all right, Chief. This is Doctor Wolenczak. Lawrence, I apologize for not catching up with you sooner but we've been rather busy." Crocker reluctantly stepped aside and headed back towards the bridge.

Lawrence held out a hand to the captain and Bridger shook it. "I'm sorry, Nathan, I'm afraid I got turned around and now I'm not sure how to get back to my quarters."

Bridger smiled at him. "I'll have one of my people escort you back." He watched as Lawrence studied Lucas without saying anything. For his part, Lucas just kept his back turned and pretended he was unaware of his father's presence.

"_How did you manage to tick him off so quickly? You've only been here five minutes!" _Bridger wondered. He tried not to smile as he remembered all too well being on the receiving end of that attitude. He turned back to the doctor and noticed he didn't look well. His face seemed strained and he rubbed repeatedly at his right temple.

"Captain, I think you need to look at this." Katie called his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Excuse me a minute." Lawrence nodded and hung back, silently watching the images that fed through onto the screen.

"Over there. That lower hatch is blown." Bridger frowned as he followed the probe's line of sight. An external hatch had blown in. They were pressure-sealed and the only way a hatch could blow in was for the internal air pressure to be lower than the external water pressure. Something had obviously failed and the pressure had dropped. There was no way to determine the extent of the flooding from the outside but sending in any kind of rescue team was going to prove difficult. If a compartment was flooded then any craft that attempted to dock would be instantly flooded too when they opened the docking hatch. Without someone to operate the docking ports on the station it was next to impossible to get in without risking drowning his crew. The only other choice seemed to be blasting their way in and constructing an artificial seal. Since they had no idea where the station personnel were, the captain didn't want to risk blasting open a compartment full of people. He turned back to Lucas.

"Lucas, I need you to start working on a way to access and override the station's systems. We need external control of a docking port. Commander, I need a team assembled and geared up ready to go as soon as Lucas can get us in."

"Aye, Sir." Ford called Ben over and began rattling off a list of instructions. Krieg hurried off the bridge with barely a glance in Lawrence's direction.

* * *

Monique stared at her sister as though she had gone mad. Matt had never mentioned he had any family. She wondered if this was some kind of grief-induced confusion.

Isabeau looked sadly at her sister. How could she explain the twisted story? She knew that her husband's one great regret was that he never got to speak with Lucas as a family member.

"Issy? Who is Lucas?"

"Matthew had a younger brother called Lawrence." Monique frowned at her. Why had she never heard of him?

"It's a long story and I really don't feel like going into all the details but they fell out many years ago. It was a horrible time and neither brother ever re-established the relationship. Matthew was so angry that he moved here from the US and changed his name to Wallace. Lawrence's wife Cynthia tried to reunite them when their son Lucas was born. She sent him some photos and I think Matt wanted to bury the hatchet but Lawrence got angry when he found out. I'm not totally sure what happened next. It turned out that Lucas had a genius IQ and Matt kept tabs on what was happening with him. A few years ago Lucas actually contacted Matt about a computer program he was working on. It was obvious he had no idea who he was talking to. Matt had published various papers that Lucas had read and he wrote, asking for some technical advice. I think it was some kind of device to allow inter-species communication. I guess it's still in the design stage because we never heard any more about it and Matt never heard from Lucas again either."

Isabeau shifted in her chair as she realised her sister hadn't said a word. Monique just stared at her.

"That was him. At the funeral I mean. You looked like you had seen a ghost when he came up to you afterwards. You dismissed my questions at the time but that was him wasn't it?"

Isabeau just nodded. She had debated letting Lawrence know his brother had died and since she never heard back from him she had assumed he didn't care. It had stunned her when a complete stranger came up and introduced himself.

"So what does Lucas have to say about all this?"

"I don't know."

* * *

"All right ,Commander. Whenever you are ready." Bridger kept his voice steady in spite of the air of tension on the bridge. Krieg and Ford stood on either side of the hatch and nodded at each other. Each of them knew they would only have seconds to react.

On the bridge Lucas closed his eyes. They didn't have anything but an audio feed but he still didn't want to look anyone in the eye. He had chosen the docking seal that Ford and Krieg were now attempting to open and he desperately hoped he had gotten it right. They were both suited up in case he was wrong but if there was water behind that door it would be under enormous pressure and would flood the shuttle in seconds. They would have air to breathe but could still be seriously battered.

"Ready, Sir," Ford responded. "Here goes nothing!" he muttered in Ben's direction. They both gripped the handle and slowly began to rotate it.


	5. Chapter 5

**After promising to finish things I ran off for weeks without posting anything further. I'm sorry for the delay in putting up the next chapter but I have a seriously ill friend and I haven't felt much like writing. I didn't want to post a sub-standard chapter for you. So I'm back and will try to get onto the next chapter soon.**

**Let me also just say before I go any further, everything I know about diving and water pressure is from internet research so if you're an expert and I get it wrong just be thankful you aren't on my dive team! **

**Chapter Five**

While all attention was focused on the situation in the shuttle, Lawrence glanced over at his son. Lucas had his eyes shut while listening intently to the words being relayed back to them. It had taken twenty minutes to assess whether or not the docking seal was still pressurised and now Lucas was sweating on whether he'd judged it right. Lawrence knew that look all too well. It was the one where Lucas had been forced to make a judgement call and then starting second-guessing himself. Lawrence frowned as it was one of the things that most frustrated him about his son. If he was ever going to make it in the adult world he needed to stand by his decisions, regardless of the outcome.

It was eerily quiet on the bridge as everyone waited for Ford and Krieg to open the hatch. It seemed far too long before Ford's relieved voice came back over the radio.

"All clear, Captain! We're in."

Lucas slowly let out the breath he was holding and opened his eyes. Miguel gave him a quick slap on the shoulder before turning back to the WSKR array. It clearly showed the shuttle still firmly attached to the docking port. Bridger was watching it just as intently.

"Good news, Commander. All right, we need an internal assessment of station systems."

Lucas hung back as he waited for Ford's answer. Their next move would be determined by the information they could access and for the moment there was nothing else he could do. He glanced over to where his father was standing and was surprised to think he had briefly forgotten he was even there. Lawrence looked tired and Lucas wondered if he had looked like that before. He hadn't really noticed.

"Lucas?"

He jumped slightly at the captain's voice and realised he had missed something.

"I said, can you get onto the information Commander Ford is relaying back?"

Lucas nodded quickly and moved back over to a computer terminal. "Yes, Sir!"

He quickly began to download the data coming from the station and tried to draw something useful from it. As his hands flew over the keys he became absorbed in what he was doing. He was unaware that his father had moved up behind him. The information was badly corrupted and he couldn't really get anything more than fragments. Finally he looked up at the captain in frustration and shook his head.

"Sorry, Sir, but this is useless. The files are damaged beyond use. I can't read enough off these to make any kind of guess, let alone an accurate assessment of the station's systems."

Bridger frowned at his words. He nodded at O'Neill and asked to be patched back through to Ford.

"Jonathan, we can't read the data files you've sent over. Is there anything else you can give us?"

"Negative, Sir. We've been going over the system here and we've sent you all we know how to access."

"What if Lucas talked you through what you need to do to get in further?"

Before Ford could respond, Lucas jumped in.

"Captain, that's a waste of valuable time. It'd be a whole lot quicker if I just went over there and did it myself."

Bridger looked at him and shook his head.

"No way! Whatever you need to get you can get it from here."

"But Captain, we don't know if anyone is still alive and how much air they have or if they're hurt and doing it from here will take way too long."

Lawrence laid a hand on his son's shoulder and nodded. "If Lucas says he can do it then I know he can. You've already got two men over there safely so why not send him over? I can go with him and help."

Bridger looked at the two of them and knew he couldn't really say no. The last place he wanted to send Lucas was a station with unknown problems but he realised the urgency of the situation overruled his personal misgivings. Finally he reluctantly nodded his head.

"All right. I'll take you over myself." Lawrence seemed about to say something but as he caught the captain's eye he thought better of it. "Get whatever gear you need and I'll meet you in the launch bay in fifteen minutes." He had decided that if Lucas had to go then he was going to go along to make damn sure nothing happened to him while he was there.

Lucas climbed out of his seat and as he hurried out the clam doors he heard Bridger talking to Ford about whether another docking seal was still intact. Lawrence followed behind him and Lucas felt slightly irritated to realise his father had just pushed his way into the situation. It was only the fact that he could prove helpful that made Lucas bite his tongue. Twenty six people could be depending on them and now wasn't the time to let family feuds be an issue.

"Lucas, I just need to get something from my quarters before we go. I just don't remember how to get there from here."

Lucas frowned at him but quickly explained the directions. "I'll meet you at the launch bay soon." He hurried off down towards the maglev before his father could ask anything else and began to run a mental inventory of what he may need to take with him.

* * *

"Captain, once you dock we'll need to manually run the docking seal from here because the system is down. It could take a few minutes to re-pressurise."

"Understood, Jonathan."

Ford nodded to Krieg. "Ben, you'll need to run the airlock on the outer door. They should be docking in about five minutes."

Krieg headed out towards the airlock and waited. It didn't take long before he heard the faint sounds of shuttle engines powering down and the familiar thump as it was maneuvered into dock. An automated system should have kicked in but for some reason they had yet to determine it wasn't working. Their own shuttle docking had also been done manually but at least Bridger's crew didn't have to worry if they were going to be deluged when they opened the hatch.

Ben ran through the checklist twice as it was years since he had done a manual docking procedure. Two in one day still didn't make him confident. It wasn't something they generally had to do and he didn't want to make a mistake. He knew it wasn't the kind of thing you got a second chance at if you messed it up the first time. Finally he called Ford to give them the all clear and Ford radioed it through to the shuttle. The hatch handle began to turn and soon Lucas stepped through, followed closely by his father and the captain. Ben wondered briefly why Lawrence was there but realised it wasn't his call to make. He reached down to grab some of the gear Lucas was carrying and followed the teenager as he headed over to the bank of computer terminals.

Bridger left Lucas to get on with the job and went over to where Ford was working. "What have you got so far, Commander?"

Ford shook his head and frowned. "Not much, Sir. We've got a definite power draw in this area here," he circled a section on the station's schematics, "but we've had no luck making contact with anyone. We've had some success determining the flooded areas but so far we don't know what happened. If there was a breach of some sort of an explosion or what."

Bridger nodded thoughtfully as he examined the schematics. The display should have been fully lit and readily accessible but right now it was dark. There was no way to tell the position of all the watertight doors and without computer access there was no way to reopen any of them if they had closed.

"One more thing, Captain. We've increased the air pressure in this area to match the outer pressure, as we can't determine the integrity of any of the seals. I'd also recommend everyone has an air cylinder with them at all times." Both he and Krieg were already wearing a small tank of air harnessed to their backs.

"Good idea. We've got plenty in the shuttle and there should be more at every air lock on the station." Ford nodded at him. It was standard operating procedure that cylinders were stored at airlocks in case of pressurisation failure.

Bridger turned around to where Krieg was waiting and sent him back to the shuttle to get the cylinders. It didn't take long before Ben came back carrying three tanks. He headed over to the captain with them but Bridger nodded towards Lucas. "Make sure they get them sorted first, Lieutenant," he said quietly.

Ben started towards Lucas and Lawrence with the cylinders but Lawrence waved him away. "Not now, Lieutenant, he's on to something."

Krieg frowned at the man but persisted. "Sorry Doctor, but it's Captain's orders. Everybody has an air tank with them at all times."

Lawrence ignored him as though he hadn't spoken but Bridger moved over to stand in front of him. "If you're going to stay here then you need to have a tank with you."

Lawrence started to protest but then saw the captain was serious. "Oh all right, Lieutenant, just leave it there!" He waved at a space beside him on the floor.

"No. You need to have it on your back at all times. In the event of a breach you aren't going to have time to wonder where your tank is." Bridger took the tank from Krieg and held it out to Lawrence while Ben tapped Lucas on the shoulder.

"You too, pal." Lucas looked up at him briefly.

"Uh huh," he said absently. He shifted slightly as he felt Ben begin to wrap a harness across his chest. He finally dragged his eyes away from the screen as he felt the weight of the tank settle against his back.

"Let's hope you don't need it but like the Boy Scouts taught me, always 'Be Prepared'."

Lucas rolled his eyes at him. "You were never a Boy Scout, Ben!"

"Says who?" Krieg feigned offense before grinning at his friend.

"Says me, because no self-respecting Scout leader would have allowed you in!"

"OK people, cut the chatter. We've got a job to do." Ford cut in as he came over to check all three had their tanks strapped in place. It was an eerie feeling to think about the necessity of having them but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Bridger noticed as Lawrence rubbed at his temples and moved over towards him.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Lawrence waved him away and smiled. "Yes, it's just the changes in pressure are a bit unsettling at first. I'll be fine."

Lucas heard the comment but didn't think much of it. He was too busy analysing the readouts in front of him.

"Captain, I think I've got something."

All eyes turned his way as he turned up the volume on the nearest speaker.

"… send help immediately. Repeat, this is Banden Station calling any vessel in the vicinity. We have suffered a systems failure and the station is flooding. Send help immediately. Repeat, this is Banden Station calling any vessel in the vicinity. We have suffered a systems failure …"

Lucas turned down the volume. It was the automated message they had picked up hours earlier.

"It's still broadcasting from that section there, Sir." He pointed to an area on the schematics. "That means that section can't be flooded yet or the SOS would have stopped."

"Are you sure that's where it's coming from?" Bridger knew sometimes Lucas would jump ahead of himself in his enthusiasm but lives could depend on the accuracy of this information.

"Absolutely! I've backtracked the relays and they converge there." He pointed again at the schematics. "From there there's only one way for them to go and that's into that area right there." He stuck his finger on the dark screen.

Bridger nodded at him. As he scanned the station's plan in front of him he sighed as he realised there were six watertight bulkheads between their present location and the area Lucas was pointing at. Even if just one of them had come down it was next to impossible to get through them. Without power it was completely impossible.

"Have you tried sending a message back yet?"

Lucas nodded but frowned. "I've tried, Sir but the relays must be fried. Either that or anybody at the other end can't return my call."

Nobody wanted to suggest a third possibility that there was nobody left to make the call.

Ford leaned over and began to trace a finger over the schematics.

"What about that dock there? We could take the shuttle round and get in from there."

Before Bridger could say anything Ford could already tell what the captain was thinking.

"The lieutenant and I still have our scuba gear in case of problems."

Bridger looked him over and nodded at him. "All right, Commander. It's the most logical way to get in."

He watched as his two officers headed out towards the shuttle they had arrived in. He turned up the volume again on Lucas' speakers and the automated message was still playing. He turned it back down and headed over towards the shuttle to manually release the docking seal for them. He kept a calm face as he sent the two men off for the second time, hoping that things would go smoothly at the next docking port.

Lucas watched after them and slowly turned back to his terminal. He was surprised to see Lawrence pull a medicine bottle from his pocket and shake two small capsules out. He quickly put them in his mouth and shoved the container back in his pocket when he realised Lucas was watching him. He hoped the small tremor in his hand wasn't noticeable but Lucas was more interested in the medication.

"What's that?"

"It's nothing. It's just for my blood pressure."

"What's wrong with your blood pressure?" Lucas looked at him closely.

"I've had hypertension for some years. Don't worry, the meds take care of it but I just forgot to take them this morning and now it's up a bit. The extra air pressure in here is just taking me a while to adjust to."

Lucas nodded as he was feeling a little light headed too but felt that he wasn't getting the whole story. His eyes were drawn back to the screen in front of him as another data stream he'd been waiting on finally began to run. He soon forgot all about his father's blood pressure as he began to analyse the new information coming through.

He vaguely heard the sound of the shuttle powering up and realised that Bridger had come back into the room but his attention was focused on the screen.

"Captain, see that?" he pointed at the screen. Both Lawrence and the captain leaned in to see. At first neither of them could see what he was so excited about.

"If we can get into that relay station there, then we can bypass the main system damage and use it to piggyback a line through …"

"…to the electrical system!" Bridger jumped in.

Lawrence saw where they were going with it but frowned when he mentally traced the plan back. How were they supposed to get to that relay station? The floor above was flooded and it was entirely possible that area was too.

Lucas pointed again to the schematics. "Captain, if we used the sonar array from the shuttle we could use that to determine if there's water on the other side of that door."

Bridger nodded at him. It wasn't perfect but it would help give them some feedback that they had no other way of getting and it would even up the odds a little. He decided to call through the idea to Ford and Krieg as well. They could all use any advantage they could get.

As the captain explained the idea to them Ben was listening and wondered out aloud why they hadn't used it when they had first docked. Even as the words were out of his mouth he knew the answer already. Lucas was already half way back to their shuttle as the captain was explaining.

"Because sonar works on sound waves through water. The station's outer hull is too thick but the internal walls are much thinner. We won't get accurate readings but we can get an idea by how the sound waves respond whether or not there's water there."

Ben mentally kicked himself. He knew how sonar worked but sometimes he opened his mouth before thinking the words through. He quickly moved to start pulling the sonar out of the shuttle console while Ford continued on towards the next docking port.

In their shuttle Lucas and Lawrence had most of the sonar gear out before Bridger came back through the hatch. He noted how efficiently father and son could work together when they put their minds to it. He briefly wondered what it would be like for them to work together on a more permanent basis but quickly pushed the thought aside. The idea of Lucas leaving the _seaQuest_ wasn't something he wanted to think about and yet Lawrence clearly had an agenda in coming out to the boat. Whatever it was, Lucas wasn't happy with his father and Bridger tried to suppress the sense of satisfaction that thought brought with it. He guiltily headed over to Lawrence's side to help pull the last of the delicate equipment free.

* * *

"Commander, we've got a problem!" Ortiz called over his shoulder. Hitchcock quickly stepped up beside him and scanned the WSKR array in front of her. She frowned as she saw what he was talking about. Micro fractures were developing on the south side of the structure. It was difficult to say how long it would hold together but it was obvious that Banden Station was coming apart at the seams.

"O'Neill, get me the captain."

Tim patched a line through and quickly had Bridger on the line.

"Captain, we've got evidence of micro fractures on the south side. I'm sending the WSKRs round to check the rest of the station but I'd advise you hurry up and get out of there. Has there been any contact with anybody yet?"

"Understood, Commander. Ford has taken the shuttle round to the western docking port so you need to advise him of the micro fractures. We are just about to try heading through to a relay station where Lucas thinks he can get access to the electrical system. If we can get the power back on we can stabilise the internal pressure and buy us some time. I'm sending you our route co-ordinates now."

"Aye, Sir, we'll keep you posted on anything we see from this end."

* * *

Brad Harrison had spent his whole adult life under the sea. There was no place he'd rather be and Banden Station had been his home for nearly two years. The station had suffered a catastrophic systems failure but they had managed to evacuate eleven people into the western crew quarters. He had no idea where the others were and all attempts at communication had failed. He had sent out a distress call over twelve hours ago but so far nobody had responded. Maybe the signal wasn't strong enough.

As he watched the condensation drip down the walls he wondered if they would die before help showed up. Would it be from the cold or carbon monoxide poisoning? The ventilation system had clearly shut down and they were re-breathing their own stale air. The heating system was also offline and the room was freezing. The watertight bulkheads had dropped into place and they were trapped in that area. His only hope lay in the fact that the SOS he had sent out was still broadcasting. They had enough emergency power from the backup generator to keep the radio going and some emergency lighting but the other systems were all offline. Try as he might, he'd been unable to get them running again. Of all the people in the room he was the most able to make it work but he wasn't an engineer and it was beyond his limited abilities. He sighed as he wondered where the techies were and if they'd made it to safety. He was jolted out of his thoughts by the faint sounds of a docking port being opened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Poor Lawrence! It's fun giving him a hard time. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Six**

Others had heard the sounds too and before long the whole group was standing around the airlock watching as a docking hatch slowly opened. Brad stared as two men stepped through, both of them dressed in scuba gear. A spontaneous cheer went up as the group realised they had been rescued.

Ford stepped forward and grinned at them. "Well that's not the usual reception we get but, well, OK!" He shrugged his shoulders as he looked around at the people in front of him. They were all damp and some were filthy dirty. The room was freezing and water vapour hung in the air.

Brad moved out from the group and stuck out a hand. "Whoever you are we're very glad to see you!"

"We're from the _seaQuest_ but there'll be time for introductions later. Right now we need to get you all out of here. There are micro fractures showing up on our infra-red WSKR scans and this station is starting to crumble." Ford was doing a head count as he talked and he frowned at them when he realised how short they were.

"Where's the rest of the station personnel?"

A blonde haired woman started forward. She looked like she was about to cry when she told them how the watertight doors had sealed their section before others could get through. Another woman put an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sure Ty is in safe place," she whispered. "He was going to the control room to send for help remember?"

The blonde woman nodded but the look on her face said she wasn't very hopeful of that. Ford exchanged a glance with Krieg and he barely shook his head. They both knew if her friend had gone to the control room then the odds were, he was dead. There would be time to explain that later but for now they needed to get these people out into the shuttle.

"Do you have any idea where any of the others are?"

Brad spoke up again. "No. We tried calling other sections but we were cut off. We had no way of getting out of here and if there's anybody on the other side of that door they won't be able to open it without power."

Krieg had already dragged the sonar gear out of the shuttle while Ford was talking and he began to set it up against the watertight door. As he ran the first of a series of tests the frown on his face turned to a scowl. He shook his head as he looked up.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but there's no way there's anybody on the other side of that door." Before anybody could ask questions he quickly added, "It's flooded. There's nobody alive back there."

He tried not to turn around as he heard a sob from behind him but he couldn't help but look. There was nothing more they could do in that section except get the people out so he began to pack up the sonar gear as quickly as possible. One of the men knelt down and began to pick up some of it before silently heading back towards the shuttle.

Ford gently herded the others towards the airlock; acutely aware he was leaving their colleagues and friends behind. He hoped the _seaQuest _had been able to find some more survivors but he wasn't optimistic about it.

He called in their position to the captain as the shuttle pulled away from the station. Eleven people were safely aboard but there were still fifteen who were unaccounted for. It was a very quiet trip back to the submarine, broken only by quiet sobs from the back of the shuttle.

* * *

Lucas squeezed through the small space and wriggled further along the service duct. Drips of water fell on his bare head as he moved but he tried not to think about them. He stretched out a hand and managed to reach the third control panel. They had been able to rewire two of them from outside the duct but the wiring was so badly damaged from electrical overloads that he had to get inside and run an alternate cable through.

He could hear voices behind him but couldn't make out the words. He knew his father and the captain were trying to get the consoles up and running but they were limited in what they could do until he finished the internal wiring. Neither of them had been happy about allowing him to crawl inside the ducts but since neither of them could fit they didn't have much choice.

He was sweating in the tight space and tried to flick his head to stop the drops of sweat running into his eyes. He blinked a few times before pulling at the next section of wiring. It didn't take long before he had stripped the insulation back and patched a new section of cable into the mix. He double-checked the job as he didn't want to have to come back and then he began to ease himself back out of the tube.

It seemed to take forever before he felt the opening with his foot. He twisted to the left and slid awkwardly out of the hole. Lawrence caught him from behind but Lucas quickly shrugged off his helping hand. Bridger noticed the reaction but turned back to what he was working on. Neither the captain nor Lucas saw as Lawrence reached out a hand against the wall to steady himself. He blinked rapidly and shook his head before forcing himself to walk after his son.

Lucas was already leaning over the keyboard while Bridger had managed to pull up some schematics on his screen. Lawrence pointed out what seemed like an anomaly on the file and all three of them crowded in to check it.

"Look. There! There's power being drawn from there. The station must have a modular electrical system." Lawrence looked over at Lucas.

"Yeah." Lucas chewed at his lower lip as he went searching for more information. If the station's systems ran independently from each other then they stood a better chance of finding areas that weren't yet affected. The main drawback though was that if some sections were damaged they couldn't access them from other areas by over riding the local system.

The captain was searching at another console when the radio suddenly crackled to life.

"Can anyone hear us? Is someone out there?" A frantic voice called out.

Bridger grabbed the handset and answered them. "This is Nathan Bridger of the _seaQuest._ Where are you?"

"Oh thank God! We're inside one of the shuttles but we can't open the launch bay doors. Everything shut down on us and we're trapped here."

"How many of you are there?"

"There's five of us. Have you found anyone else yet? Are the others OK?" The pitch of the voice rose with each of the questions and the sense of desperation was obvious, even from a distance.

Bridger decided they didn't need to know how many were still missing but chose to focus on getting them out instead.

"We've got some people out of the western port already. Now, if we can get the launch bay doors open are you seaworthy?"

"Yes."

"Which launch bay are you in?"

"The southern port."

"All right then. Sit tight, we're working on it from here. I'll get back to you."

Bridger turned back just in time to see Lawrence stumble against the console. He clutched at his forehead in obvious pain. Lucas ran towards him and steadied his father.

"Dad! What's wrong?"

Lawrence blinked a few times and shook his head.

"I … I need to … sit down." He slid to the floor and rubbed at his face. Lucas hunched down in front of him. He grabbed his father's hand and tried again.

"Dad. What's wrong?"

Bridger knelt down beside them. Lawrence licked his lips and forced himself to speak.

"It's the increased air pressure in here. I can't handle it."

Lucas looked at him in alarm. "You mean your blood pressure?"

Lawrence just nodded but the dizziness was starting to subside.

Bridger looked at the two of them before turning towards Lawrence. "Can you make it back to the shuttle?"

Lawrence nodded weakly, "I think so."

"Captain? What are you thinking?"

"I think you need to get your father back to the _seaQuest_ while I go and get that shuttle out of the launch bay."

Lucas frowned at him. "But you'll be stuck here. You heard Commander Hitchcock. The station is breaking up and you'll …"

Bridger held up a hand to stop him. "I'll be fine. Commander Ford should be nearly back to the _seaQuest _by now. You can send him back for me and by the time I get the launch bay open he'll be here to pick me up."

He could see Lucas getting ready to argue but he shook his head. "Your father needs a doctor and those people will be running out of air in that shuttle. We don't know how long they've been in there and I don't want them stuck in the launch bay if it starts to fall apart around them."

Lucas stood up and between the two of them they helped Lawrence to his feet. He wobbled slightly but the captain sent them off towards the shuttle. Lucas glanced back over his shoulder as he reluctantly left the captain behind.

* * *

"Captain, we've made it back to the shuttle." Lucas unslung the air cylinder from his back and gently dropped it onto the floor. It felt good to be rid of the weight at last. He saw his father had stumbled over into the co-pilot's seat and was alarmed at the strained look on his face. Obviously the effort of walking back had taken its toll.

Bridger's voice came back at him over the PAL. "OK good. I'm outside the launch bay and I've just got the outer door open. I'll be heading back to the ….. " The words were cut off by a horrendous noise and Lucas could hear a scream of pain before the transmission abruptly ended.

"Captain! What happened? Are you all right?" The silence stretched out in his head as he tried again. "Captain! Please, answer me!" He stared at the PAL, desperately waiting for a reply.

"Captain! Answer me! Are you all right?"

Lawrence tried to stand up and see what was happening but the pounding in his head was getting worse. He slid back down into the seat and closed his eyes. He opened them again as he felt Lucas' presence beside him.

"Dad, I have to go back. Something's happened to the captain." He saw his father was trying to speak and cut him off before he could object. "I'm putting the shuttle on auto pilot. When you get back they can send another shuttle back for us."

As he leaned over the console and began to key in information, Lawrence grabbed at his hand. The trembling was more pronounced and his words were slurred.

"You … can't … shtay."

Lucas shrugged off his father's hand before finishing up at the console. He shook his head at his father.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I have to go and find him. You always say you want me to stand by my choices. Well then I need to make choices worth standing by." He looked down at his father's worried face. "Don't worry, I'll see you soon."

As the engines began to power up he hurried over to the hatch. He glanced back one last time at his father before racing out and sealing the hatch behind him. He headed out through the airlock and began the manual override to allow the airlock to flood with seawater. It seemed to take forever but eventually he heard the shuttle pull away from the dock. He just hoped it would make it back to the _seaQuest_ in time to help his father.

He knew there was nothing further he could do on that front so he turned and headed back down the corridor he had just come from. As he ran Lucas wondered what he would find at the other end. He called the captain again on his PAL but there was nothing but eerie silence.

* * *

"Commander, I've got the shuttle on approach for docking port three but I can't raise them on the radio." O'Neill twisted in his seat towards where Hitchcock was standing. She hurried over towards him.

"Are you getting anything at all, Lieutenant?"

Tim shook his head. "They should be receiving our signal but nobody's responding."

"Is there any damage to the shuttle?" Katie looked up at Ortiz but he shook his head at her.

"I'm not seeing anything from here." He redirected the WSKR around to the other side of the shuttle but couldn't see any sign of external damage that would explain radio silence.

Hitchcock picked up her PAL. "Commander Ford, we've got a shuttle on approach to you but they aren't responding to our hails. I'm sending another medteam to you."

"Understood, Katie. The shuttle will be in shortly."

O'Neill continued to call the shuttle while he could hear Commander Hitchcock calling through to the medbay.

Ortiz spun around in his seat. "Commander, we've got another shuttle heading in. It's not one of ours."

"Lieutenant, try hailing them."

O'Neill nodded. "This is _seaQuest _calling unidentified shuttle. Please respond."

"_seaQuest! _This is Shuttle D7 from Banden Station. There are five of us in here. Have you got any more of our team aboard?"

O'Neill glanced up at Hitchcock. She pulled on her headset.

"This is Commander Hitchcock. We've got eleven people just came in on another shuttle." She swallowed as she realised ten people were still missing. She desperately hoped they were aboard that shuttle that was still coming in but without radio contact there was no way to know.

* * *

Lawrence found he could barely keep his eyes open. The pounding in his temples felt unbearable and yet he knew he had to keep himself conscious if he was going to help Lucas. Somebody had to know what had happened over there and send another shuttle back. They were running out of time. It may be too late already as he couldn't recall how long he'd been in the shuttle.

He could hear the shuttle engines powering down and he felt a gentle bump as the small craft docked. He tried to lever himself up out of the seat but his arms were tingling and they refused to co-operate with his thoughts. He heard noise behind him and was vaguely aware someone was standing over him. The only problem was that as he looked at the face all he could see was a dark blur. At the edges he could glimpse the shuttle console but directly in front of him was a blank.

Specks of light danced around across the blur and he tried desperately to get the words out. His tongue felt like it had expanded to fill his mouth and it wouldn't move. He tried to raise his right arm but it flopped uselessly at his side. He felt strong hands lift him out of the seat and even though he could hear voices he couldn't process what they were saying. As everything went black he thought he heard Lucas calling him.

Doctor Westphalen had already gotten the stretcher brought in and was organising to get Lawrence onto it as she heard Ford swear under his breath. She turned back to where he was leaning over the console. He slammed a hand down before turning around and calling Krieg back into the shuttle.

"Lieutenant, we're heading back."

Ben nodded and slid around the side of the stretcher as it was lifted up. He watched as Lawrence was carried out and he quickly moved into the pilot's seat. Ford grabbed the doctor's arm before she could leave.

"Kristin, there's a message on there from Lucas. He says his father is suffering from the effects of heightened air compression, high blood pressure and he may have Byrnes disease. Does that mean anything to you?"

Kristin looked over at Lawrence. "It means we need to get him into the hyperbaric chamber as quickly as possible!" She wanted to stay and ask where Nathan and Lucas were but she knew her patient needed treatment immediately. He would have experienced rapid decompression coming back in the shuttle but complicating matters was the news about his hypertension and the possibility of Byrnes disease. There wasn't much time. As she waved the stretcher out the door she turned back to Ford.

"Please, bring them back, Commander." It wasn't a request.

"I intend to."

The look on his face was grim but determined as he pushed the hatch shut. Ben maneuvered the shuttle out into the ocean and headed back towards the station. He had kept his mouth shut while the medics did their job but he couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Where are they and why weren't they on this shuttle too?"

Ford looked straight ahead. "I don't know, Ben. Something must have gone wrong because Lucas said he put his father aboard and then went back for the captain."

Ben frowned at that piece of information. Where was Bridger and why did Lucas have to go back for him?

* * *

The medics carried the stretcher around the corner to medbay and saw that a gurney was already waiting for them. Kristin had called ahead and her team was ready. Lawrence hadn't regained consciousness and as Kristin slipped a BP monitor on him she could see the reading was through the roof. He had already moved into stroke territory.

Kristin quickly administered two doses to try and bring Lawrence's blood pressure down but she knew the hyperbaric chamber was the thing he needed most. As the gurney was being wheeled into the next room she ran ahead to start programming the pressurisation sequence. Lieutenant Harper carried supplies through into the chamber and Kristin stepped aside as the gurney was wheeled in. The two medics moved back out the door and she watched as it was sealed behind them.

It seemed instantaneous that the air pressure began to increase. It was a strange feeling to go through rapid compression and Kristin looked over at Harper.

"Are you all right?"

The lieutenant nodded and smiled. "It feels a little weird but I'm OK."

"Don't worry, you'll soon adjust." She looked down at Lawrence and checked his BP again. She was relieved to see it was finally falling back into a more reasonable range. It was still too high but no longer life-threateningly so.

* * *

As Lucas sprinted back from the shuttle he tried to remember the station layout in his head. He had read over the schematics and he was pretty sure he was heading in the right direction. He had tried calling the captain on his PAL again and again but there was still no answer.

He thought that the southern launch bay shouldn't be too far ahead. As he rounded the corner he was frightened to see water dripping down the walls. The station was under enormous strain as water flooded into areas that weren't designed to withstand it. He kept going until he reached the launch bay door. The self-closing door was stuck half open as the floor had buckled.

"Captain! Are you here?" he yelled into the launch bay. Without overhead lighting it was difficult to see far into the cavernous room. The powerful beam of light from his torch only lit up the area he was facing and he swung it around the room. "Captain! Where are you?"

He heard a muffled groan from the left side of the room and he pointed the light in that direction. He was stunned to see the railing from the stairwell had given way and the captain was pinned under it. He slung the torch handle over something on the wall and frantically began to tug at the railing. The captain just groaned again.

"Lucas, you need to get out of here," Bridger whispered.

"I'm not leaving here without you." Lucas continued to pull at the heavy railing but struggled to shift it. He tried to ignore the water streaming down the wall above his head.

"Lucas, please, get out of here while you still can." The captain tried to put as much force into the words as possible but the pain came through in his voice.

"I said, I'm … not … leaving here … without you!" he wheezed out between tugging on the railing. Lucas stopped and looked at Bridger. "I'm going to get this thing off you and we are _both_ going to get out of here."

Bridger frowned at him. "Lucas, you can't move it by yourself. Please, get out of here. That's an order!" He winced at the pain that shot up his leg and he tried to stop himself from crying out.

Lucas knelt down beside him. "I'm not military so you can't give me orders. When we get back to the _seaQuest _you can ground me for the rest of my life if you want but I'm _not_ going anywhere _without_ you. So stop arguing and let me get on with getting you out."

Bridger leaned back against the wall and gritted his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain. Eventually it subsided a little and he opened his eyes to see Lucas had dragged over another piece of metal. He dropped it on the floor and headed back for something to prop under it. He found a storage case and dragged that over. As he pushed it under the piece of railing Bridger could see he intended to use it as a lever to lift the larger piece of railing.

"Good idea," he whispered.

"OK, Captain. When I lift this you need to slide your leg out. Can you do that?"

Bridger nodded at him.

"All right then, 1 … 2 … 3... now!" As Lucas pushed down on the railing with all of his strength the larger piece barely moved. Lucas put all of his weight behind it and the railing finally lifted an inch or so. He couldn't hold it and he was forced to ease it back down. Bridger cried out in pain as the weight dropped back onto his leg. Seconds later Lucas was by the captain's side, panting from the exertion.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't hold it. Let me try again."

Bridger shook his head and swallowed against the pain. He grabbed Lucas by the arm.

"Kiddo, I know you tried but you can't lift that by yourself. You have to get out of here and get help. I'll be fine. I've got an air tank here and I can sit it out until you get back."

Lucas was watching his face intently and saw the pain etched into his features. The glassiness in his eyes was worrying enough but the uneven breathing was even more of a concern. He shook his head emphatically.

"The water is rising. If you pass out you could drop your regulator and you'd drown."

As he glanced away he could see the water was indeed rising and it was already a third of the way up the staircase. That seemed to have happened in an unbelievably short time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey can somebody tell me what happened to a new story that was posted about Lucas' daughter? I know it was a first fic but I'm not sure who wrote it. I just got started on reading it but got called away and when I got back to it it had disappeared. It's a mystery!**

**Anyhow thankyou to the lovely reviewers for your comments. **

**Chapter Seven**

Katie stood inside the shuttle bay and waited impatiently for the shuttle to dock. Various crewmen worked around her but she was almost oblivious to their presence. Time seemed to crawl as she tried not to think about the scenarios running through her head. She had seen the WSKR scans firsthand and she knew it was only a matter of time before Banden Station imploded. Just how long before that happened was anybody's guess.

Her PAL beeped in her hand and Katie quickly answered it. "Hitchcock here."

"Commander, we've just heard back from Lieutenant Krieg they are nearly around at the northern port now where Doctor Wolenczak's shuttle left from. Feedback from the WSKRs shows that the western docking port is unusable. It's flooded since they left there."

"Thankyou, Lieutenant. Keep me informed."

Finally the shuttle docked and she ran forward to greet the people coming out.

A man who looked to be in his fifties was the first one out. He held out a hand in greeting.

"Gareth Jamison," he said as he grasped her hand. "Thankyou for getting us out of there. Now, how soon before Nathan Bridger docks? We owe him our lives and I want to thank the man personally!" "

Katie looked behind him as the rest of the passengers came through. _"Only five in total,"_ she noted.

"Nathan Bridger is the captain of the _seaQuest._"

"Really? So how far out is his shuttle?"

"He hasn't notified us yet that he's left the station."

Jamison looked a little confused. "But he opened the shuttle bay doors for us and said he was heading straight back on his own shuttle. We were trapped when the doors malfunctioned and he got us out. I thought he'd be right behind us."

Katie looked at the anxious faces in front of her. "Where exactly did the captain say he was on the station?"

"I don't know where he was when we first spoke to him but he said he had to manually open the shuttle bay doors to get us out so he would have been in the southern docking bay. Why?"

The southern docking bay! Katie's blood ran cold as she heard the words. She grabbed her PAL out of her pocket and called the bridge.

"O'Neill! Get me through to Commander Ford!"

It was only seconds later that she heard his voice on the link.

"Commander, the captain was in the southern docking bay. There were people trapped in there and he had to manually release the doors to get a shuttle out. Jonathan," she paused and glanced again at the faces in front of her, "that's where the first micro fractures showed up!"

"Understood, Katie. We're at the northern port and it's a mess." He didn't bother to describe the damage he was staring at. The immense pressure of the water was unrelenting and it had inevitably won against the metal and concrete of the structure.

Katie looked back at the group that was now surrounding her. Jamison spoke up again.

"Are you telling me that he's still over there?"

"Yes, I think so. We've lost contact with two of our people but at least now we have a better idea of where to start looking."

She tried to put on a smile but they could all see how false it looked. She was clearly very worried and with good reason.

"Have any more of our people arrived here?" Jamison asked. It seemed an unfair question but he had to know anyway.

Katie nodded at him. "Eleven were brought back on another shuttle. They've all been taken to medbay for assessment which is where you all need to go too."

Jamison held up a hand. "Maybe I could be of some use on the bridge? I know the station layout like the back of my hand."

Katie motioned to the ensign waiting nearby and sent the rest of the group off to be checked out. "You're right. Please, come with me." She tried to gather her thoughts while they walked but her mind kept going over and over the same thing.

* * *

Kristin looked down at Lawrence as she checked his blood pressure again. He still hadn't regained consciousness but his BP was finally behaving itself.

"How's he doing?"

She started slightly at the voice over the intercom. Commander Hitchcock stood outside the door, patiently waiting for an answer.

Kristin sighed slightly before nodding her head. "Better. It was a bit tricky there for a while trying to balance things." As she looked at Katie she could see the other woman didn't know what she was talking about. Suddenly it dawned on her that the commander had been too busy with other issues and hadn't been properly filled in on Lawrence's condition. She was obviously here now to get the details.

"He had conflicting medical needs. His blood pressure was dangerously high but he had also just been through rapid decompression. The hyperbaric chamber is the last place I'd normally put someone with his BP reading but I didn't have a choice. The risk of decompression sickness was more of a problem and we've managed to get his BP under control with medication. Have you had any luck getting through to his personal physician?"

Katie shook her head. "Doctor Wolenczak's secretary hasn't returned our calls so I'm trying to get information through UEO channels. I'll let you know as soon as I do."

Kristin noticed Katie hadn't mentioned Nathan or Lucas so that meant they hadn't returned yet. She was almost afraid to ask for an update but she had to know what was going on.

"Has there been any word from Nathan or Lucas yet?"

Katie chewed her lower lip as she chose her words carefully. "Jonathan and Ben are on their way back to pick them up."

"But why weren't they on the shuttle in the first place?"

"_That's the million dollar question isn't it?" _thought Katie. She kept a straight face as she answered.

"We don't know yet but I'm sure they'll be back soon. You'll be pleased to know the people who came in on the first shuttle have all been checked out and apart from needing a hot shower and food, they are all in good shape."

Kristin noted how quickly the topic had been changed but for the moment she chose to go with it. There was no point pushing for information, as she knew Katie would have told her anything she knew.

"Well I need to get back to the bridge. Let me know if there's anything you need here."

Kristin nodded at her before turning back to her patient. Lieutenant Harper had taken another BP reading while they were talking. She smiled slightly as it was holding steady. There was nothing else for them to do as they sat out the gradual decompression phase so she sat down beside the gurney to wait.

Lawrence stirred slightly on the bed but still didn't open his eyes. Kristin silently studied his face and tried to see Lucas in his features. As he slept, his face softened a little but Kristin concluded Lucas must look more like his mother than his father. She wondered how much of her personality was in there as well, as the teenager she knew didn't seem to have much in common with what she had seen of this man. Her thoughts wandered off to where that teenager might be and Kristin was startled when she heard someone speak her name. She blinked and looked back to see that Lawrence was finally awake.

Lieutenant Harper had jumped up as well as soon as she heard him speak and was standing on the other side of the gurney.

Lawrence tried to sit up but Kristin gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Lie still. I don't think your head will thank you if you try to sit up just yet." She smiled at him as she spoke but the tone of voice was firm.

Lawrence nodded at her. "I think you might be right, Doctor." He rubbed at his forehead and tried to clear his head. Suddenly the look on his face changed to alarm. "Lucas! Did he get back yet?"

Kristin knew she needed to keep him calm so she gave him half an answer "Commander Ford took a shuttle back to get Lucas and Captain Bridger. They should be back soon."

Lawrence seemed to relax a little and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Now, we need some help with your medical history so we can give you the best treatment."

Lawrence opened his eyes and began to really take in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"In the hyperbaric chamber. Lucas said you had problems with the increased air pressure on the station as I understand Commander Ford reset it higher than usual."

Lawrence nodded as he began to recall what had happened. "Yes, they couldn't determine if any seals were faulty so he increased it as a precaution."

"And your blood pressure was already elevated?" Kristin probed.

"Yes! I stupidly forgot to take my usual medication this morning. Normally it's under control but I got sidetracked and forgot it."

"Well it was dangerously high when you returned. What symptoms did you experience in the shuttle?"

Lawrence glanced away. He had no intention of telling her how frightened he had been. The return trip, alone in the shuttle had been extremely disorientating and he didn't even remember docking with the _seaQuest._

"A killer headache … dizziness … I don't really remember."

Kristin studied him as he spoke. "Any numbness? Tingling? Blurred vision?"

Lawrence shook his head but avoided eye contact with her.

Kristin knew he wasn't giving her the whole picture so she decided to try another tack. "Doctor, Lucas left a message on the shuttle about your condition and he said you may have Byrnes disease." She paused to allow the question to sink in before continuing. "Is that the case?"

Lawrence glared at her. He had planned to have a civilized conversation with his son and tell him the whole story but events had conspired against him. Now it seemed as though Lucas had guessed anyway and he kicked himself as he tried to guess what his son's response would be.

"That's confidential, personal medical information, Doctor!"

Kristin knew she'd hit the nail on the head and she suppressed a sigh. So it was true.

"I have no intention of sharing it with anyone but it does factor into your treatment."

Lawrence stared at her, trying to decide if she was being serious. Doctor/patient confidentiality was expected but he wondered how far that would extend in this case. Would she "accidentally" let something slip to the captain? Or Lucas?

"I came here to tell him." The words were barely more than a whisper. For a fleeting moment Kristin got a glimpse of something. Regret? Fear? She wasn't sure what but it quickly passed and the mask went back up.

"_Well now I know where Lucas learned to do that."_

She smiled encouragingly at him. "He won't hear it from me," she assured him.

"How much longer do we need to stay in here?" He glanced around the room as he spoke.

Kristin looked at her watch. "Just under an hour. After that we'll keep monitoring you to make sure there are no problems but I don't think there will be. We managed to get you in here fairly quickly so there wouldn't have been much time for any nitrogen bubbles to form in your blood or tissues."

* * *

Lucas pulled out his PAL and to try calling the _seaQuest _again. The last attempt hadn't been successful and he had no idea why. PALs were supposed to work within a three mile range but various factors could limit their use. Without knowing the construction details of the station he couldn't be sure what was going on and what was blocking his signal

"_seaQuest, _this is Lucas. Can you hear me?"

"Lucas!" The relief in Tim's voice was obvious even from there. "Are you all right?"

His voice caught in his throat. "I'm fine but the captain's trapped. Tim, I can't get him out!"

"OK, calm down. Commander Ford is on his way back to you. Can you tell us where you are?"

Lucas glanced around the room and tried to steady his thoughts. "A docking bay."

"Do you know which one?"

"Um, I think …hold on … yeah it's the southern docking bay."

Katie arrived back on the bridge just in time to hear his response. Her heart sank as her worst fear was realised. Jamison frowned at her as he heard the words.

"Commander, that area was breaking apart."

"I know, we saw it with the WSKRs already. Lieutenant, patch us through to Commander Ford." He nodded at her as she continued on. "Lucas, Jonathan and Ben aren't far from you. What's Captain Bridger's condition?"

"I think his leg is broken. The stairwell railing gave way and he's pinned under it. I tried to get it off him but I can't lift it." The air of desperation in his voice carried over the speakers. "The water's rising in here. Fast!"

"All right, you need to stay calm. They're coming to get you. Now, do you have any air tanks near you?" She knew there should be some nearby if they were in the shuttle bay but she wasn't sure if Lucas had found them yet.

He frowned as he was reminded of his own stupidity. He'd taken his off in the shuttle and was in such a hurry to get to the captain that he forgot to pick it up. "We've got one tank with a regulator."

Katie nodded to herself. That at least bought them some time. So long as the walls didn't disintegrate first!

"All right. Good. Let me speak to Commander Ford and I'll get back to you in a minute."

Lucas held the PAL in his hand and tried to calm his racing thoughts. He glanced down at the captain and was frightened to see how groggy he looked. The water level was still steadily rising and he decided he needed to find the captain a full-face mask because he clearly couldn't rely on holding a regulator in his mouth.

He stood up and reached up for the torch. Bridger stirred beside him and he crouched back down again. "I'm just going over there to get another air tank. I'll be quick, I promise."

The captain nodded at him but didn't speak. As Lucas stood up he could see a wave of pain wash over his face again. He silently cursed his own lack of strength and marched off to find where all the breathing apparatus was stored. He looked back over his shoulder but as his torch beam shone ahead of him the darkness seemed to swallow up the captain behind him. He shivered at the thought but he quickly shoved it aside and continued his search.

* * *

"Katie, we're looking at it now. The outer door is open. The captain must have closed the internal door but it's no wonder it's leaking. It's not designed to withstand constant pressure like this." He didn't voice his concern about just how long the internal door could hold out but he didn't have to. Katie was an engineer and she would know better than him what they were up against.

Ben stared at the docking bay entrance and slowly maneuvered the shuttle in. He swung the overhead spotlights around in an arc to assess the damage. It didn't take a WSKR with infrared scans to show the cracks anymore. What had begun as micro fractures were now clearly visible to the naked eye. He glanced over at Ford and saw his own concern reflected there. The images were being relayed back to the _seaQuest _and before he could speak Ford was back on the radio.

"Katie, how the hell do we get in there? If we force open the bay doors we'll drown them. If we don't open the doors and that place gives out, they don't stand a chance!"

Ben closed his eyes as the words sunk in. There had to be some way to get them out.

Lucas' voice made him open his eyes. "Whatever you guys are gonna do can you hurry it up? This water is freezing!"

Before he could stop to think about it Ben answered him. "How high is the water? Can't you get above it?"

The stress in Lucas' voice was obvious to them all. "I can but the captain can't move. It's already waist deep and he's freezing. Ben you have to get us out fast. I don't know how much longer I can keep him conscious!"

Lucas knelt in the water beside his friend and tried to stop his teeth from chattering. Bridger was watching his face but seemed to drift in and out of focus. Lucas had already put on the face mask and he could see the captain's breath condensing against the glass. It was somehow comforting as at least it was proof that he was still breathing.

"Ben, I think he's going into shock."

"It's OK, kid, we're gonna get you out. Hold on." Ben looked over at his CO and raised his eyebrows. "How?" he mouthed silently.

Ford turned off the PAL and called the _seaQuest_ again. "Katie, how long before that bay floods completely?"

"At the current rate, probably half an hour, give or take. That's provided the walls don't collapse before then."

"Ask Doctor Westphalen if they can survive half an hour in water that cold."

Ben stared at him. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"I think that's exactly what we have to do, Lieutenant!" Ford growled at him. "If we try to get in there we will most likely drown them under a flood of pressurised water. They have breathing gear and can sit it out until the bay slowly floods. Once the pressure has equalised we can cut our way in and pick them up."

Ben saw where he was going with the plan. "Provided they don't die of hypothermia before then."

"Yeah," Ford whispered. "And the station holds together long enough!"

"Commander I've spoken to Kristin and she's not happy about it but she said if there's no alternative they should be able to handle another half hour in the water. She'll have warming gear ready for you when you dock."

Ben smiled slightly at the first hint of optimism in that plan. There was an expectation that the warming gear would be needed. Now they just had to sit there for the next thirty minutes and wait but first they had to explain the plan to Lucas and Bridger. He picked up the PAL as Ford nodded at him.

"Uh, Lucas? We've worked out how we can get you out but it's gonna take a while. Do you both have breathing gear?"

"Yeah. What are you going to do?"

Ben licked his lips before continuing. "Lucas we can't get in there without risking crushing you in a flood of seawater. So we need to wait until the water level rises and the pressure equalises." He closed his eyes as he could visualise Lucas processing the idea.

"What! Ben it's freezing in here!"

"I know that, Lucas. I'm sorry but it's the best way to get to you without hurting you. It shouldn't take too long as the room is flooding fairly quickly." He shook his head in frustration as the words came out of his mouth. Like that was supposed to be comforting news!

Lucas looked above him and tried to gauge the height of the roof. The water was already up to the captain's neck and he could see the logic in the plan. Trying to quell his rising panic he chose to focus on the captain's face. The eyes that watched him from behind the mask were barely registering where they were. "I'm not leaving you!" he whispered. "I promise."

"Ben, pretty soon I'm going to be out of contact so if there's anything else you want to add to this plan you'd better hurry up and tell me."

Krieg and Ford exchanged glances but there wasn't anything else to do but wait it out.

"Just to tell you that you still haven't paid up on our bet. Don't think you can get out of it that easily!"

Lucas smiled. "You mean the bet that you didn't want the captain to know about?"

Krieg hung his head and tried not to laugh. "Yeah, don't tell him."

Tim pulled his headset down and smiled slightly. There was nothing like announcing a secret to the whole boat.

Katie looked back towards Miguel. "Ortiz, I want your WSKRs scanning that area. Let me know at the first hint of a breach."


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delay in posting this next chapter. I hadn't meant it to be so long but I haven't been able to do any writing for a while and when I did get back to it I got stuck. I think my muse went on holiday without asking!**

**Chapter Eight**

Kristin stepped back as the gurney was wheeled past her. She waited for the two medics to take Lawrence out of the hyperbaric chamber and then she trailed along behind them. Her patient was out of danger and all his vital signs were within acceptable ranges so she allowed herself a moment to wonder what was going on with the other shuttle.

When Katie first called through to ask about hypothermia she had been careful to keep the comments non-specific but Kristin knew something had gone very wrong. She didn't want to stress her already stressed patient any further so she had kept her fears to herself. Now she had finally gotten out of the chamber and it was all she could do to stop herself running to the nearest private place and calling the bridge on her PAL.

She realised the bridge must have been notified that Lawrence was back in medbay because it was only a few minutes later that Commander Hitchcock came through the doors and made a beeline for her. The doctor could see that her staff had things in hand and she moved away, out of earshot. The carefully controlled look on Katie's face told her all she needed to know. Something was seriously wrong.

"Katie? What's going on? Where are they?" The questions came in out in a tangled rush but she almost wished the answer wouldn't come.

"The captain and Lucas are still on the station. They are stuck in an area that is flooding but don't worry, they've got breathing gear!" She could see the panicked look that crossed Kristin's face and rushed to reassure her. "Jonathan and Ben are there in the shuttle and they should be able to get to them soon."

"Why can't they get to them already? Katie, what's going on?"

"I need to get back to the bridge so walk with me and I'll explain on the way."

She waited while Kristin checked on her patient one last time before leaving him in Lieutenant Harper's capable hands. As the two of them headed out the door she tried to fill in the blanks as best she could.

* * *

As he opened his eyes murky water swirled in front of his face. He fought down the initial sense of panic and he tried to focus on where he was. Something was keeping the water out of his eyes and finally he remembered he was wearing a face mask. He just couldn't remember the reason why. Nothing seemed to be working right and his body wouldn't respond to anything. Slowly the fogginess in his mind lifted a little. It felt like someone squeezed his hand but it took a few minutes to register it was Lucas staring back at him through his own mask.

"_Why can't I move?" _The thought slowly formed in his mind but his lips wouldn't produce the words.

Lucas squeezed his hand again but he couldn't make himself respond. His mind seemed detached from his body and his senses seemed scrambled. Overwhelming tiredness washed over him and he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. It felt good to just surrender to the darkness.

Lucas watched in alarm as Bridger slipped back into unconsciousness. He shook his arm and tried to wake him up again, without success. He could feel the effects of the extreme cold on his own body and knew he wasn't far behind. It was difficult to keep focused and his mind kept wandering off. As the freezing water continued to rise over their heads he had wedged himself under the railing in order to keep them together and stop himself drifting. The light from his torch was distorted under the water and gave the place an eerie glow. He just hoped the batteries would hold out because the idea of being under water in the pitch black was too daunting to contemplate.

He looked up and tried to see how close the water was to the roof but it was impossible to guess. Time seemed to stretch on forever and he struggled to keep awake. The idea flitted around in his mind that Ben couldn't get through after all and they were going to freeze to death in the dark. As despair threatened to overwhelm him he noticed a tiny glow somewhere off to his left. At first he thought his imagination was on overdrive but the glow didn't go away. Instead it got brighter.

* * *

Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at his watch for the hundredth time. He briefly wondered how Ford could be so cool sitting beside him but as he glanced sideways he noticed the commander's hand was clenched tightly around the armrest of his seat. Maybe he wasn't so calm after all; just better at hiding it.

Ford checked his own watch and looked up to see Krieg watching him intently.

"Time to go I think." It was almost a question but both of them knew they were just making an educated guess anyway. If they moved too soon the water level wouldn't be high enough and they risked crushing Lucas and Bridger. If they waited too long then the station could collapse on them. From outside the bay it was impossible to gauge the water level so they had asked the _seaQuest _to run some calculations and give them a better idea of when to go. Ben had been watching each minute tick by since he last spoke to Lucas. He was relieved to finally be doing something more than counting seconds.

They had already identified the best way to get into the bay and had been holding position there for over twenty minutes. The shuttle's floodlights swept over the blank wall in front of them as they scanned for fractures. One particularly disturbing crack was inching its way down from the second level and Ben kept glancing back at it. The hyper reality probe was crawling along the length of the crack and they both knew Katie was carefully inspecting it. So far there had been no feedback from the _seaQuest _so Ben hoped that meant the station was holding together.

He sucked in a short breath and unconsciously chewed on the side of his lip as he activated the laser and targeted it at the black wall in front of them. Cutting a big enough hole for the shuttle to get in was going to take at least fifteen minutes and they were all acutely aware of every minute that ticked over.

Neither of the men spoke but each knew exactly what they needed to do. As Ben continued cutting into the wall, Jonathan began re-checking his scuba gear. When he was satisfied everything was in order he climbed back into the front of the shuttle and watched over Ben's shoulder.

"Nearly there, Sir."

A nearly complete circle glowed faintly against the blackness of the station's door. The laser burned smoothly through the dense metal but the intense cold of the water quickly cooled it down. Ford watched silently as Ben completed the job and the external water pressure pushed the plug through the hole.

"Ready to go, Commander?" Ben called back to the _seaQuest._

"Already on it, Ben. Stand by." Katie's voice came back at him as they watched the hyper reality probe disappear into the darkness. Ford clapped a hand on his shoulder as they both waited anxiously for the probe to do its job. They could both see into the bay as far as the shuttle's floodlights could reach but it was impossible to see any sign of the captain or Lucas.

"I've got them!" The excitement in Katie's voice was obvious and both men exchanged a grin. "Ben, take the shuttle in."

"On our way!" Putting aside their questions over the structure's integrity, Ben smoothly steered the shuttle through the hole in its side. He could see the probe's lights over to the right and he quickly followed it in.

Kristin stood on the bridge and stared at the images before her on the main view screen. She watched as Katie expertly maneuvered the probe into place through the hole. The probe's light bounced off metal surfaces and was refracted by the water but suddenly the image zoomed in.

She was unable to move as the screen showed two motionless bodies underneath a piece of twisted metal. Her hand was already over her mouth as if to subconsciously stop herself from voicing her fears. The world seemed to go into slow motion and she barely registered as somebody slipped an arm around her shoulder.

Suddenly another light shone on the area and Kristin watched as the shuttle appeared on the screen. She could hear Ben's voice over the radio but the words made no sense. Her mind wouldn't move past the image in front of her. Suddenly movement caught her attention and she realised there was a swimmer in the water. She couldn't tell if it was Ben or Jonathan but one of them was suited up in scuba gear and heading towards the probe.

Ben watched as Ford swam out towards the probe. It wasn't standard procedure to be able to leave the shuttle under water but they had sealed off the front section by closing the cargo doors. Having done so there was no way to expel the water from the rear of the shuttle but they were operating under emergency conditions and that meant improvisation. Both of them knew that once Ford opened the airlock he was on his own.

They were well past recommended dive limits but Ben figured that recommendations always erred on the side of caution anyway. At least he hoped so. He could see the commander still swimming erratically and he guessed the water temperature was already having an impact. The probe hovered over the railing and as Ford got close enough Katie began using the mechanical arms to pull at the heavy metal.

* * *

Lawrence sat up against the pillows and watched as a flurry of activity erupted around him. He tried to get somebody's attention but nobody was taking any notice. Several people carried equipment through the door that he knew led to the hyperbaric chamber.

"What's going on?" he called out.

When nobody answered he tried again. "What's going on?"

A young woman stopped beside him and smiled. "They've found the captain and Lucas. Commander Ford is bringing them back now."

Lawrence stared at her. His mouth was suddenly dry. "Are they all right?"

"I don't know but Doctor Westphalen asked us to prep this gear so they must be on their way to medbay. Sorry, Doctor but I have to go."

She hurried off before he could say anything further. As he watched the last of them leave he quickly climbed out of the bed and decided to follow them to wherever the shuttle was coming in.

* * *

"OK, easy does it," she whispered to herself. The probe could easily shift the weight but Katie was more concerned about how Jonathan was going to get the captain out from under the railing. She could see him give her the thumbs up as he dropped down. Delicately weaving her hands before her, Katie used the probe's controls to wrap three of its arms around the railing and began to ease it upwards. She almost cried with relief as she heard Ben's voice again.

"He's got him! He's got the captain!" He watched as Jonathan swam slowly back towards the shuttle, towing the captain behind him. As the water churned behind them it was impossible to see any kind of bubble trail but Ben refused to believe his captain was dead. Instead he turned his attention back to the probe.

He watched in amazement as the bizarre mechanical creature moved towards him. It always reminded him of a squid with the way its legs propelled it along but right now he was more interested in what it was carrying. Apparently so was Darwin because the dolphin had silently appeared alongside it. Ben smiled slightly as he thought about how Darwin seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Lucas.

He strained to see through the glare from the probe's light. "Katie?"

"I've got him, Ben. We're nearly there." He smiled at the way she always talked about the probe as though it were really her. He knew from his limited training with the probe that once you slipped on the headset it was so real that it was easy to get caught up in the intensity of it. Virtual reality had certainly come a long way.

"How's Ford doing?"

"He's got the captain aboard and I'm just bringing Lucas around now. Hold on, Ben."

Ford swam back out through the airlock, expecting to have to swim back to get Lucas. He was surprised to see the probe floating in front of him with Lucas' limp body cradled in its arms while Darwin hovered overhead. It was a bizarre sight but he was relieved at not having to swim back. His muscles were starting to cramp up from the cold. He reached out and pulled Lucas towards him. There was no response from the boy as he swam back through the airlock. He heard the shuttle's engines power up and he knew Katie had told Ben they were aboard.

It wasn't far back to the _seaQuest_ but Ford knew that every minute counted. He couldn't tell if either of them was still breathing but there was nothing he could do if they weren't.

Kristin paced impatiently as she waited for the shuttle. As soon as she knew both of them were aboard she had run from the bridge down to the shuttle bay. Her team had already prepared all the anticipated medical supplies and there was nothing more to do but wait.

"What's taking them so long?" The question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular but the lieutenant standing nearest her moved closer.

"The shuttle will dock in a few minutes, Ma'am."

Kristin nodded and went back to pacing.

Jonathan could feel the shuttle slowly swing around and he guessed they had entered the docking bay. A gentle bump confirmed it and he waited for the external airlock to drain. A few moments later he heard knocking on the hatch and he began to rotate the hatch cover. As he opened the door he braced himself and let the water flood out into the bay. He pulled off his mask and pounded on the internal door.

Ben climbed out of the shuttle's forward section as the medics began moving in. Kristin knelt on the floor beside the captain and gently eased off his mask. His skin was icy to the touch as she felt for a pulse. Finally she looked up and the relief on her face was obvious. "I've got a pulse."

"What about Lucas?"

Kristin looked towards the door and was shocked to see Lawrence pushing his way in. He was still dressed in infirmary pyjamas and was barefoot. It was obvious he had left medbay without permission.

"What about my son?" he demanded as he dropped to the floor beside Lucas and grabbed his hand.

Doctor Levin looked up and smiled at him. "The pulse is weak but it's there."

Lawrence rubbed at his son's icy hand and looked desperately at the doctor in front of him. Before he could ask anything further Kristin began issuing instructions.

"OK, we need to get them both into the decompression chamber as quickly as possible. Then we can start to warm them up and deal with this leg." Ford watched as she placed a makeshift splint around the captain's leg and then moved out of her way as she began to organise gurneys and blankets. As she climbed out of the shuttle Kristin turned back to him.

"Both of you need to come as well. I'm not taking any risks with DCS." Ford nodded and silently followed behind her. He had experienced decompression sickness once before and it was the kind of experience he never wanted to repeat. His fingers were tingling and he absently rubbed at them. It was impossible to know if it was from rapid decompression or from warmth starting to flow back into them.

As he stepped away from the shuttle Katie draped an emergency blanket around his shoulders. He gratefully pulled the silver material towards himself as he realised how badly he was shivering. He turned back to see Krieg behind him and the three of them hurried after the doctor towards medbay.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well my muse finally came back but then my computer decided it was overworked and went on strike – for over two weeks! I thought I'd lost my hard-drive but thankfully that wasn't the case. You don't realise how much you rely on something until it isn't there. So now the muse is behaving again, the computer is back from hospital, I've caught up on the backlog of actual work and the last chapter is finally done. Yay! I hope you've enjoyed the story despite the interruptions. **

**Chapter Nine**

Crocker swung the overhead lights back and forth across the structure's walls but there was nothing encouraging to be seen. There had been no further radio contact from the station and absolutely no signs of life. Still, until the commander said to stop, they would keep searching. The idea of leaving people to drown didn't sit well with an old sailor.

On the bridge of the seaQuest the WSKR screen showed the two shuttles as they continued the search. Ortiz watched as Shuttle Four pulled out from behind the station and began another overhead sweep. Shuttle Six was moving slowly along the outer rim. O'Neill frowned as he watched the viewscreen. He knew that the longer this took the lower the odds of finding anybody else, alive or otherwise.

Suddenly Miguel sat bolt upright and slid around in his chair as he called out across the bridge, "You need to get them out of there! I think it's about to give out."

Tim nodded silently as he pulled on his headset. "_seaQuest _to Shuttle Six. You need to clear the area. WSKR readings show the station is on the verge of collapse."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Shuttle Six out."

"Shuttle Four, stay clear, repeat, stay clear. The search is being aborted."

"Aye, Sir, Shuttle Four is pulling out."

The finality of the words hung in the air. Ten people were still unaccounted for on Banden Station but the order had just been given to call off the search. _His_ order. Tim vividly recalled the commander's words as she had left the bridge.

_Try and find those people but we can't do the impossible, Tim. _

Somehow that didn't help ease his mind that he was responsible. He stared at the large viewscreen as the WSKRs pulled back and he knew he had just sealed the fate of ten strangers. The assumption was that they were already dead but that hadn't been proven yet. Shuttle Four skirted past on the viewscreen on its way to the docking port.

Before he could say anything further the image on the screen erupted in a violent plume of bubbles. The view was completely obscured but there was no doubt in anybody's mind what had just happened. The weakened station had finally imploded from the enormous pressure of water bearing down on it. There was no sign that Crocker's shuttle had made it far enough away. Tim swallowed down the lump in his throat and called the shuttle crew.

"Shuttle Six, report!" Tim tugged at his headset as the seconds ticked by. "Shuttle Six!"

"All clear … just. On our way in to the docking bay now. The paintwork may need a slight touchup though."

"I think we can manage that, Chief." O'Neill smiled with relief. He really didn't fancy explaining that one of the captain's oldest friends had been lost on his watch. At the thought of the captain he suddenly stopped smiling. There had been no news yet from the shuttle bay.

* * *

Katie watched as the door to the hyperbaric chamber was sealed and the pressure was cranked up inside. Beside her, Lawrence did his best to stand still but it had taken two crewmen to pull him back in the first place. Watching his son's apparently lifeless body being taken away was almost too much for him to handle. The doctor had assured him there was a pulse but Lucas' blue lips and almost porcelain skin seemed to belie that. Only the slow beep of a heart monitor showed that the doctor was telling the truth but it was too slow. Much too slow.

In the background Ford had peeled back his wetsuit to the waist and had wrapped a warming blanket and gel packs around himself. As much as he wanted to just sit down and rest he knew he needed to get his body warmed up again. Pacing up and down in the small space made him feel like a caged animal. His hands tingled painfully and the shivers had become even more pronounced.

Ben watched him carefully but felt totally helpless to do anything. Instead he turned his attention back to the two patients. The hyperbaric chamber was quite large but having six people inside it with two gurneys and all the equipment Westphalen's team had brought in made it rather cramped. The two doctors worked simultaneously over their respective patients and they seemed to be comparing data as they went. Ben tried to comprehend what they were talking about but most of it was clinical jargon that made no sense. Words wafted through to him but all his brain could really focus on was the slow beep of their respective heart monitors. It didn't take a doctor to know that both of them were far from all right.

"Did we leave it too long?" The words were almost whispered but Ford caught his meaning anyway. He was also wondering about the answer to that question but he shook his head anyway.

"They made it this far, Ben. Don't write them off now."

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Katie had moved around to their side. She smiled reassuringly at him and he smiled back. Without thinking he placed the palm of his hand on the glass and she only hesitated briefly before placing hers against it on the other side. She waved her PAL at him and he nodded to himself as he pulled his out of his pocket.

* * *

Crocker strode onto the bridge, his face grim but controlled. He headed straight for O'Neill.

"Sorry, Lieutenant but there was no indication anybody was still alive. Before the station gave way, I mean." He could see the look on Doctor Jamison's face and it was all he could do to maintain his composure.

Tim nodded at him. "We found nothing from here either, Chief."

"Any word on the cap'n and Lucas yet?"

"Nothing yet. We know they made it back but so far we haven't got any information on their condition beyond hypothermia."

Tim looked at the older man standing in front of him. "Why don't you head down and see what you can find out for us, Chief?"

"Aye, Sir!" Crocker spun on his heel and headed for the door before he had even finished speaking. Tim turned back to Jamison.

"I need to let my colleagues know what has happened."

"Of course. I'm sorry, Doctor that we couldn't do more."

"Lieutenant, none of us would be alive if the_ seaQuest _hadn't come. Your own people risked their lives to help us. Believe me, we are grateful for all that you did."

* * *

Lawrence seemed rooted to the spot as he intently watched every move Doctor Levin made. Finally he realised the commander had moved away from him and he saw that she was talking to one of the men inside. He shook his head as he tried to recall the man's name. He knew that Lucas was close to him but couldn't drag the name out of his memory. He wasn't sure if it was due to his recent blood pressure problems or another aspect of his illness beginning to assert itself. That wasn't a thought he wanted to pursue as a scientist couldn't function well with memory loss problems. Instead he decided it was more likely due to the day's dramas. As he slipped over closer to Katie he overheard them talking. Ben! That was his name.

"Do you know what's going on?" All three of them looked up as Lawrence cut in on the conversation.

"Please, what are they doing in there?" he tried again.

"Well they're trying to get them warmed up again. I don't understand all the stuff they're saying but I think they're using those blood machines to rewarm their blood."

Ben tried to reassure Lawrence but the truth was he wasn't very reassured himself. He had heard the doctors talking about dialysis but he thought that meant something to do with kidney failure. Both Bridger and Lucas were hooked up to something that was pumping their blood around but he really wasn't sure why. Waiting for Kristin or Levin to come and talk to them was taking forever.

* * *

Crocker marched though the door from medbay and headed straight for Hitchcock. He stopped in front of her and straightened up.

"The search has been called off, Ma'am. I'm sorry to report there were no further survivors from the station before it collapsed. Ten still unaccounted for."

Katie sighed before nodding at him. "We did our best, Chief."

He nodded briefly at her but he still didn't look convinced. "So how are they doin' in there?" He inclined his head towards the glass.

As if she had heard him Kristin moved over towards the group. Stray wisps of red hair hung around her face and she absently tucked them behind her ear. She tried to smile but her face still looked strained.

"They are both still seriously hypothermic and we are trying to bring their core temperatures back up to normal. Warming packs and thermal wraps all help but the best way we can do that is to rewarm their blood through a dialysis machine."

"How long? Before they wake up?" Ford asked the question they were all thinking.

Kristin looked over at him and shook her head. "Probably not for some time yet. Now, Commander, how are you doing?"

"Well the shakes are starting to wear off," he grinned.

"But?" She looked at him closely.

"But I still feel strange."

Kristin was already examining his hands before he finished speaking. "You are still very cold. Ben could you get me another of those gel packs please?"

As he handed her a warming pack she pulled back Ford's blanket and pressed the pack against his chest. She smiled at the awkward look on his face as he grabbed hold of it before tightly wrapping the blanket back around himself.

"Are they going to be all right?"

She nodded at them all. "I think so. Once we get them warm again we need to stay in here through the decompression cycle and then we can get Nathan into surgery to sort out that leg. Actually it's ironic but the hypothermia may have saved his life."

As Kristin looked around at the faces before her she could see their confusion. "That railing was very heavy and injuries like that often lead to crush syndrome. Toxins build up on one side of the weight and when it is released suddenly the toxins rush into the body and can cause heart failure. The fact that his blood circulation was so severely reduced slowed them down and we could treat them in time."

As Kristin watched him, Lawrence swayed slightly on his feet.

"Commander, I think Doctor Wolenczak needs to be back in medbay."

Lawrence raised a hand to object but she quickly cut him off.

"Sorry but you are no use to Lucas if you pass out. I promise we will call you as soon as he stirs."

Katie gently steered him by the elbow back towards the medbay door. He clearly didn't want to leave but he was very unsteady on his feet as he walked. She knew he had already had a close shave himself today and didn't want any further dramas. As they stepped through the door a nurse came towards them and she quickly took over. Katie excused herself and turned back towards the door.

* * *

The disembodied voices in the dark seemed to float in and out of range. Somebody was nearby but he couldn't work out who it was. It seemed strange that anybody could be talking to him underwater but nothing seemed right anyway. His head throbbed painfully as he tried to focus his senses. He decided the torch batteries must have finally died because he couldn't see anything. Eventually he stopped trying to make sense of his surroundings and allowed the darkness to swallow him again.

Ben watched quietly as Lucas stirred slightly before settling back into a deep sleep. It was the third time he thought his friend was going to wake up and the third time he had been sorely disappointed. He glanced behind him to an identical bed where Captain Bridger was just as soundly asleep. Lawrence was slumped in a chair beside his son's bed. Despite being ordered back to bed he had dragged the blankets off it and settled in to wait. At first he and Ben had tried to make awkward conversation but eventually they had settled into a comfortable silence. Finally Lawrence had given into his own exhaustion and his head dropped back onto the chair rim.

Ben seemed lost in thought and was startled as Kristin moved over beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"They will wake up soon enough. Right now they both need to rest."

Ben smiled at her and nodded.

"I know. I just need to know he's … well … that we didn't …" He swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to express the fear running through his head. "That we didn't wait too long."

"They both have a good heart rate again and we've stabilised their core temperatures. Nathan's leg has been reset and will heal properly."

"So why haven't they woken up yet?" he demanded.

"Because they have both suffered extreme trauma and the human body can only take so much. Don't worry Ben, they _will_ wake up. I promise. Now, how about you take the chance to get some rest yourself?"

"Sorry, Doc, but I'm not leaving."

Before she could argue any further with him, Commander Ford walked through the door. It was unusual to see him out of uniform but he had been ordered off duty until further notice.

"So, Commander, have _you_ had any sleep yet?"

"A couple of hours."

"Still feeling any tingling?"

"Nope, I feel fine."

Kristin was already checking him over as he spoke and Ben tried not to smile as he watched. He had been the least poked and prodded of the group since their return but Ford hadn't been so lucky. The strange sensations in his hands were possibly indicative of decompression sickness but their stint in the chamber seemed to have done its job. Even so, Kristin wasn't taking any chances and continued to monitor him. Ben almost laughed as he realised the commander would be under her scrutiny for a few days yet.

"Lucas? Lucas, can you hear me?"

Ben was surprised to hear Lawrence's voice behind him and as he spun around he noticed that Lucas was finally awake. His eyes seemed unfocused as he pulled urgently at the oxygen mask on his face. Lawrence leaned forward and gently eased his hand away.

"You need that to stay there for now. It's all right, you're safe."

Lucas began to settle a little at the sound of a familiar voice but his hand still moved back to the mask. He tugged at it while trying to speak but nothing came out. Ben could see the desperation in his eyes and quickly moved to reassure him.

"It's OK, Lucas. You need to calm down. Everybody made it back safely." He decided the full story could wait a while. "Captain Bridger is still sleeping but you are all going to be fine."

Lucas glanced back at his father's anxious face and finally seemed to relax a little. His hand slid down from the oxygen mask as his body slipped back into sleep.

* * *

Kristin had long since turned down the lights and finally managed to get Lawrence to sleep in a nearby bed. Lucas had been more alert the last time he woke up and his father had reluctantly agreed that he was all right to be left to sleep.

She sat between the two beds absently running a finger around the rim of her empty mug. She wasn't sure if she could handle another cup of tea but she needed something to keep her awake. It had been a hell of a day and she would have loved to just crawl into bed and sleep for the next twenty four hours. Lucas was clearly on the mend but so far Nathan had refused to wake up.

"Stubborn old man!" she whispered at him. Tears pricked at her eyes as she watched him sleep. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was reflected on the nearby monitor. It wasn't that long ago that the same monitor had shown him very close to flat-lining. She drew in a sharp breath as she recalled her first sight of him in the shuttle. Those awful first few moments before establishing a pulse. She smiled slightly as she knew it was probably stubbornness that had kept him alive. His own and Lucas's.

She glanced over at the boy in the next bed and began to tear up again. He could have easily justified bringing his father back on the shuttle and yet he had chosen to go back for the captain. She wondered what was going through his mind as he made that choice. As she looked back and forth between the two of them she thought about how alike they were. Their passion for science and knowledge. Their love of the ocean. Their loyalty towards those they cared about. The strength of the bond between them that made Lucas recklessly disregard the danger of going back for his friend. No. More than a friend, she thought. More like a father.

As that thought ran through her head Kristin couldn't help but think of Lawrence. She frowned as she thought again about the unexpected revelation of his medical condition. He had claimed he was there on the _seaQuest _to tell Lucas about it but somehow she wasn't sure if that was true. After today's events would he still tell his son the truth? Lucas deserved to know but she was bound by oath not to reveal what she knew. Doctor/patient confidentiality was something she rarely questioned but there were always exceptions to any rule.

Kristin was startled out of her musings by a sense of movement beside her. She looked over to see Nathan watching her. She smiled at him and leaned in closer.

"Welcome back."

He tried to answer but the words stuck in his throat. Instead she gently placed a finger over his lips.

"Don't try to speak. Just rest. Everybody is all right and you are in medbay."

As his eyes began to focus better the captain tried again to speak. It came out in a hoarse whisper but Kristin caught his question anyway.

She pointed over to the other bed and he turned to look. "He's just fine. It took us a while to warm you both up but he is just sleeping. Something you should be doing."

The mock sternness in her voice made him smile slightly before he closed his eyes and drifted back into the morphine.

* * *

Lucas paced around his room while his father sat on his bunk. It had been three days since he was released from medbay and Lawrence seemed to have become a self-appointed shadow. For all the times he had wished his father would pay more attention, right now Lucas wished he would just go away.

At some point while he was lying in medbay Lucas had remembered his father had dropped a couple of bombshells on him. He couldn't be sure exactly when he had come to the realisation but as he thought about his father's disease it occurred to him that he had said it was genetic. Passed on from parent to child. From father to son. Maybe.

"Do you think you could sit still for five minutes and listen to me?" Lawrence asked hopefully.

Lucas wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more of what his father had to say but finally he stopped pacing and dropped onto the chair by his computer.

"Like I said, Byrnes disease can have a different progression in different people. In my case my pre-existing hypertension is a problem. I am under medical supervision for it and when I take my meds it is under control. When I'm stressed I get the muscle tremors and that's a sign I need to slow down."

Lucas stared at the floor. He had done his own research since leaving medbay and the information he had dug up wasn't encouraging. This illness could be relatively mild or quite savage. Symptoms ranged from slight tremors to muscle paralysis. Hypertension and dying from a stroke seemed to be quite common. Even though the onset of symptoms may not occur until a person was in their forties or fifties, the statistics on mortality rates were scary to say the least.

Somewhere in their stilted conversations about it all the question had come up of Lucas being tested. The bloodtest was very simple and the answer was black or white. He either had the gene or he didn't. Yes or no. Live to an old age or die prematurely.

* * *

Nathan leaned back against the wall and tried to read the report in his hand. For some reason his thoughts kept drifting and he had to keep re-reading the words. He sighed as he realised nothing was sinking in so he dropped the folder on the bed. He glanced down at his leg and considered calling Kristin. The steady throbbing was getting worse and he checked his watch. Almost time for another painkiller. Before he got a chance to call there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called out.

Kristin pushed the door open and smiled as she closed it behind her. The smile faded as she looked at the pile of reports on the bed.

"I thought I told you to rest!"

"It's just a little bedtime reading," he grinned at her. "Besides, I can't do much else can I?" His tone suddenly turned serious again.

She knew where his thoughts were going and hurried to stop them. "You did more than was expected."

"But ten people still died out there. This report says the station's aquatubes failed. They still haven't determined why."

"Nathan, you may hold the patent on aquatubes but you are not personally responsible for every one that is installed. You risked your life to get that shuttle out of the docking port. If not for you then five more people would be dead."

As she watched his face she knew he was holding something back. Something more was bothering him and she had a fair idea what it was.

"And if you hadn't taken Lucas over to the station, none of those people might have survived. There was no time to waste in getting into the system and Lucas was your best choice."

"Kristin, I almost got him killed!" She knew the anger in his voice just masked his fear and she leaned forward and took his hand.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments. The tension in his face was obvious and she knew he was rehashing all the possibilities of what could have happened. Eventually Kristin reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of tablets. Before she could speak there was a tentative knock at the door. Kristin got up and opened it. She was surprised to see Lucas standing there, his hand poised to knock again.

"I know, I'm supposed to be asleep," he smiled weakly. "I need to speak to the captain if he's awake."

Bridger called out from his bunk, "Come in." He tried to keep his face from displaying the rising pain in his leg.

Lucas stepped into the room and looked around awkwardly. Kristin noted his discomfort and suggested that she should leave them to talk alone.

"No, please, this concerns you too,' he assured her.

"I've been talking with my father and I've made some decisions. First up, I've decided I'm not going to have the blood test done."

Kristin nodded slowly, "If you are sure about that."

"I am. I need to be able to live my life without waiting for the sky to fall on me. If I do have the gene then I figure I've got another twenty years at least before I develop any symptoms. A lot can happen in that time and somebody might find a cure. "

Bridger waited for the next part. He knew Lucas was still struggling with the information his father had revealed over the last few days and really had no idea how the teenager was going to react. Right now he seemed unsure of himself but the captain decided he would support whatever decisions Lucas made.

"I also need to request some time off."

"To do what?"

"Apparently I have some family to meet."

The captain nodded slowly. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

* * *

Lucas hoisted the small bag over his shoulder and straightened up. He closed his eyes briefly and sucked in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes he didn't feel any less nervous but he tried to put on a calm face anyway. The sounds of other passengers filtered through his thoughts and he glanced around. It had been a long flight and everyone seemed eager to get off the aircraft. Everyone, except him it seemed.

As he passed through the airport security barrier he barely registered what was being said to him. A customs official had to repeat a question and he looked strangely at her.

"Sir, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a bit jetlagged." He smiled wearily.

"Your passport please, Sir."

He nodded and fished it out of his jacket pocket. The woman ran it through the scanner before rattling off a list of standard questions. When he finally got to the end of them she smiled at him and waved him through.

"Welcome to Paris, Mr Wolenczak. Enjoy your holiday."

**A/N I figured that was the right place to end this story but I plan to write a sequel and follow up on what happens from here. When I have some more time!**


End file.
